Brooklyn Man Speaks Out After NYPD Beating

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn man said he seeks justice after police acknowledged he was mistakenly identified and subjected to force.

“I just thank God that I'm alive. That's all I can say,” Timothy L. Brown told CBS News New York. “I know there's a reason for everything and I know God's watching and I want justice.”

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The nearly eight-minute video shows Brown, a home health aide and security guard, being repeatedly punched by two New York Police Department detectives inside a liquor store at Hoyt and Baltic streets in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood just before 4 p.m. on April 14.

Detectives were searching for a suspected associate in a drug investigation described as wearing green shorts, according to reports.

Police said that Brown, who was wearing similar clothing, was stopped and arrested.

Authorities later determined he was not connected to the case.

Brown was not charged with a drug offense. A resisting arrest charge is expected to be dropped, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

The eyewitness who recorded the video, Aaliy Moran, said the force used was unjustified.

“The way that you guys handled that situation was disgusting,” Moran said. “It was disgusting and uncalled for. It was racist. It was unjust.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the footage “extremely disturbing and unacceptable.”

“Officers should never treat a person this way,” Mamdani said.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the video prompted an internal investigation.

“These videos are deeply disturbing, and the matter is under active investigation by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau,” Tisch said. “The officers in question are modified. Their guns and shields have been removed.”

Brooklyn Councilmember Lincoln Restler said the officers should face discipline.

“These officers should be suspended immediately and ultimately fired,” Restler said. “Our NYPD must have a zero tolerance policy for police brutality.”

Police union leaders urged caution, criticizing officials for reacting before all facts are known.

“We don't know why the mayor is bothering to call for an investigation when he has already rushed to condemn the NYPD members involved without knowing all the facts,” Patrick Hendry said.

Brown said the encounter escalated quickly after officers approached him.

“They slammed me up against the glass, you know, repeatedly hitting me in the temple, in my head,” he said. “Several bottles were broken… they actually dragged me on the floor in glass.”

Hawk Newsome, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Greater NY, said the footage reflects longstanding concerns about police conduct.

“I feel like everybody saw police beating a man like it was a video from the 1950s or the 1960s,” Newsome said. “The only problem is it's 2026. In 2026, these police officers are supposed to be under control.”

Chivona Newsome, also a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Greater NY, described the incident as retaliation following recent accountability efforts.

“This looks like retaliation,” she said. “This looks like what happens when officers are held accountable. We are not your punching bag. A badge is not a license to kill.”

The detectives involved have been placed on modified duty as the investigation continues.