ICYMI: Cop Convicted Of Unlawful Washington Heights Arrest

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A former police officer was convicted Thursday for making an unlawful arrest on a Washington Heights street corner and then lying about the circumstances to his supervisors and city prosecutors.

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Jonathan Munoz, 33, was found guilty on two counts of offering a false instrument for filing (a felony), official misconduct and making a punishable false written statement, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office.

The offenses stemmed from an arrest Munoz made in 2014 on the corner of West 183rd Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue, prosecutors said. On March 12, 214, Munoz arrested a 21-year-old man and told supervisors that the man was attempting to interfere while Munoz searched a woman suspected of buying marijuana, according to the District Attorney's office. Munoz also told supervisors and prosecutors that the man had entered a "fighting stance" and lunged at him before the arrest.

It turns out, none of it was true.

Video surveillance footage showed that not only had Munoz fabricated the story about the arrest, he also had illegally searched the woman on the sidewalk, according to prosecutors. Shortly after the lie was revealed criminal charges against the man Munoz arrested were dropped, according to the DA's office.

"Police officers have one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the world, and they are tasked with carrying out their sworn duty to protect with the utmost honesty and integrity," said District Attorney Vance. "These tenets are critical to maintaining public confidence in law enforcement authorities and our criminal justice system as a whole."

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