NYPD Ripped Out Queens Man's Dreadlocks, Tased Him: Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — A Queens man claimed NYPD officers beat him, twice Tased him and yanked out one of his dreadlocks, according to a federal police brutality lawsuit.

Peter Lawson, 38, went to jail after the violent encounter with police in front of his home late June 5, documents state.

But prosecutors quickly dropped any charges against Lawson, who turned back around and levied a civil rights lawsuit this week against four cops he claims brutalized him without fear of consequence.

"The officers' brazen actions occurred in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in the midst of a worldwide reckoning against police brutality against people of color, which gripped New York City with protests for weeks," the lawsuit states.

Lawyers for Lawson, who is Black, spelled out his story in a court complaint. He claimed cops rolled up to his 128th Street home in Queens and shined a light into his home, where he was with his girlfriend, family and 3-year-old son.

Lawson walked outside to ask why the police were there, but was met with three officers acting "in an aggressive and confrontational manner," the lawsuit states.

They claimed to be responding to a 311 noise complaint, to which Lawson told them there was no noise coming from his home, documents states.

The officers began to "taunt" Lawson and yell and scream in his face, according to the lawsuit. He tried to walk away but, as his family looked on, they grabbed him by the wrist and wrestled him to the ground, all while beating him, the documents state.

An officer "pulled on Mr. Lawson's long dread locks causing a cluster with approximately a one-inch base diameter to dislodge from his head leaving him with a bald spot," the complaint states.

Officers also shot him twice with a Taser, before handcuffing him, according to the documents.

Lawson stayed handcuffed while officers took him to a hospital to have the Taser darts removed, documents state. He was eventually arraigned on felony charges and released on bail.

But the Queens District Attorney's Office dismissed the charges police sought against Lawson two weeks later, according to documents.

Lawson's complaint claims the cops violated his civil rights and seeks damages.