The attorney of a Black teen allegedly punched and harassed by New York Police Department officers is releasing new video he hopes will show a pattern of illegal stop-and-frisk searches targeting his client.
The Legal Aid Society tweeted the video Sunday in an effort to get charges against Destin Burgess, one of two teens shown in the video, dropped.
“We are calling on @bronxdaclark to dismiss charges pending against Destin Burgess, a LAS client who is frequently subjected to illegal stop-and-frisk searches by the NYPD,” the legal organization said in the tweet.
The footage, which Burgess reportedly took Sept. 12, depicted an unmarked NYPD car rolling up to an area the two teens were standing in.
When the car stopped, two officers in plainclothes got out and frisked the two teens.
An officer in plainclothes can be heard in the footage saying, “Sup, Mr. Burgess?”
“Y’all do this prolly every day, bro,” one of the teens was heard saying. “You not gon’ find nothin’, cuz we don’t do nothin’.”
Burgess’ attorney Shannon Griffin told News 12 his client was stopped a year earlier on Dewey Avenue and illegally searched by NYPD officers.
Burgess said he was arrested, punched in the face and charged with harassment and resisting arrest when he asked why he was being searched, according to the news station.
Although the recently released video doesn’t depict the arrest in question, Griffin, who works with the Legal Aid Society, is hoping to show a pattern of illegal searches.
Burgess told News 12 he’s been stopped more than five times in the past few months but not charged.
Police told the news station officers “observed a male known to the department.”
“Based on information obtained from an active and ongoing investigation, a stop was conducted,” officials told News 12.
The NYPD said it is reviewing the incident, but Griffin wants District Attorney Darcel Clark to dismiss the case against his client, he told the news station.
“The video was given to us by the defense some weeks ago and we have been looking into it,” Clark told News 12 in a statement. “His case has been delayed in part because he bench warranted for five months.”
Burgess is due in court to start trial on Dec. 5, News 12 reported.
