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NYPD Police Van

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A man from Staten Island is taking the NYPD to court after he was allegedly tossed around in a police van, an experience he compared to the rough ride 25-year-old Freddie Gray endured with Baltimore City Police.

Gray’s spine was severed in the unlawful April arrest. He died in police custody.

Joseph Rodman was arrested and tossed into a windowless vehicle, reports the New York Daily News. Rodman’s lawyer, Jason Leventhal, says his client was pulled over by the police on April 10th by plainclothes narcotics cops. After finding prescription drugs in the car, he was arrested for possession. He was also accused of driving with a stun gun, but insisted it belonged to the person from whom he purchased the vehicle.

Rodman had no prior arrests before the incident.

Police detained the 37-year-old and threw him around “like a rag doll.”

Via the NYDN:

During the ride, he suffered an anxiety attack. The cops allegedly responded “by laughing and stating, ‘F— you, shut up, we’ve had enough of you,’ ” the suit said.  Rodman’s suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, alleges the unnamed cop behind the wheel “deliberately drove erratically and recklessly for approximately five hours by repeatedly accelerating and decelerating abruptly, slamming on the brakes, making sharp turns and speeding around corners.”

But for the grace of God, Joseph would have suffered the same fate as Freddie Gray,” lawyer Jason Leventhal told The Daily News. “Thankfully, Joseph made it out of his rough ride alive.”

Gray’s death sparked a number of protests and riots in Baltimore. The six arresting officers were indicted and charged.

Rodman is looking for an unspecified amount to cover monetary damages for emotional distress and injuries sustained in the police van.

SOURCE: NY Daily News | VIDEO CREDIT: NDN 

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GRAPHIC: California Police Forced To Release Video Showing Shooting Of Unarmed Man

Staten Island Man Compares NYPD Van Experience To Freddie Gray’s  was originally published on newsone.com