NYPD Shot Taser At Brooklyn Man, Didn't Arrest Him: Lawsuit

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Two NYPD officers "needlessly" shot a Taser at and injured a Brooklyn man they never ended up arresting, a federal lawsuit claims.

The Taser shot knocked Thomas Arrington, 43, unconscious early June 3, 2018, outside of a Kennedy Fried Chicken, the lawsuit states.

It claims NYPD police officers Robert Delaney and Jonathan Cancel walked up to Arrington and fired the Taser without reason.

Arrington "who was not arrested, was not engaged in any conduct justifying defendants’ use of a Taser, which was unreasonable and excessive under the circumstances," the lawsuit states.

Arrington's excessive force lawsuit filed Monday in the Eastern District of New York names Delaney, Cancel and the City of New York as defendants.

It details what happened after Arrington's contact with Delaney and Cancel near Fulton Street and Van Siclen Avenue.

Medics took an unconscious Arrington to Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, the lawsuit states. Once there, he was released from police custody and received medical care from doctors, according to the lawsuit.

"(Arrington) had a Taser hook lodged in his left chest wall, which was removed with a scalpel," the lawsuit states.

The case isn't an isolated incident, the lawsuit claims. City officials received word about NYPD officers' Taser misuse from inspector general investigations, police internal affairs complaints and the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board.

The city is also aware that police officers' improper Taser training led them to deprive people of their civil rights, according to the lawsuit.

"Despite such notice, defendant CITY OF NEW YORK has failed to take corrective action," the lawsuit states. "This failure caused the officers in the present case to violate the plaintiff’s civil rights."

Arrington's attorney Brett Klein didn't return a call for comment. Patch also reached out to NYPD for comment.