A Brooklyn man claims that New York Police Department officers arrested him on false pretenses, beat him and "strangled" his penis with the drawstring of his pants, in a lawsuit filed in state court last week.
Officers arrested Nathaniel Carter in Crown Heights in June 2011 for consuming alcohol on a public street, then took him to the back of the precinct house where they beat and kicked him, according to the lawsuit. Officers then “strangled the plaintiff about the neck, placed a drawstring around his penis, and strangled his penis, causing bodily injury,” the suit said.
Carter said he was not consuming alcohol at the time of his arrest.
After being released by police, Carter said he called 911 and was taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where he was treated for a laceration on his penis. His reproductive abilities remain unaffected, said his attorney, Erik Lutwin, of Lutwin & Lutwin in Manhattan.
The lawsuit, which names the City of New York as the defendant, seeks monetary damages for false arrest, unjust imprisonment, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, civil rights violations and emotional distress.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment. The city is waiting to receive the legal complaint, said a spokesperson from the city's legal department.