LI Man Sues Suffolk Police For Violating His Civil Rights: Report

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — An attorney for a man who was seen on body camera footage being roughed up by Suffolk police officers filed a federal lawsuit in Eastern District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday claiming his client's civil rights were violated, according to a report in Newsday.

Christopher Cruz, 30, of Long Beach stole a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee from a Port Jefferson Station home on Feb. 23, 2021, and rammed it into a police officer, injuring him before driving off, said police, adding that a chase ensued, and he lost control of the Jeep, crashing it into a snowbank in Mount Sinai. Cruz rammed the Jeep into a second police car before hitting another snowbank before coming to a stop just after midnight on Feb. 24, and an officer was injured as he was being taken into custody, police said.

Two officers were suspended without pay in March after body camera video showed them kicking Cruz, and three other officers and a supervisor were also placed on modified duty after they did not intervene, former police commissioner Geraldine Hart said at the time.

As Cruz stood handcuffed, a 6th Precinct police officer pushed him forward from behind and kicked the back of his leg, according to body camera footage, and the officer who pushed Cruz, as well as another officer, kicked Cruz multiple times while he was on the ground, Hart said. In addition, three officers and a supervisor also responded, but they did not stop the two who were kicking Cruz, according to Hart.

In June, three out of five charges lodged against Cruz were dropped, including second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, and resisting arrest, but he still faces charges of grand larceny charge and an additonal third-degree criminal mischief, Newsday reported.

In December, Matthew Cameron, a 33-year-old officer from Commack who had been on the force since 2014, was charged with second-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a misdemeanor, for making a false statement in connection with Cruz's arrest, the office of former District Attorney Tim Sini said that the time.

Cruz is now seeking $10 million in damages, Newsday reported.

In a statement to the outlet, Cruz’s attorney, Frederick Brewington of Hempstead, said: "These members of the SCPD used their uniforms to shield them from accountability and responsibility. "This type of behavior has been supported and allowed within the Suffolk County Police Department, creating a pervasive culture of accepted abuse."

To read more about Cruz's lawsuit in Newsday, click here.

Michael DeSantis contributed additional reporting to this story.