Two New York City police officers who reportedly punched a teen and then hit him in the face with a gun have been indicted by a grand jury and will be arraigned Wednesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court, according to sources who spoke with the New York Post.
The Post notes that on Aug. 29, officers David Afanador and Tyrane Isaac were captured on video in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood chasing 16-year-old Kareem Tribble, who allegedly took off running after the cops saw him looking into a van window.
The video shows the teen stop running and put his hand in the air as one of the cops catches up to him and punches him in the face. The teen lies on the ground and the second officer slaps him with the gun, according to law-enforcement officials who have viewed the tape and spoken with the Post.
Both police officers are expected to turn themselves in Wednesday morning and will be arraigned shortly after.
"What they did was a criminal act and a horrible thing, and what's happening to them right now is well deserved," Kareem's attorney, Amy Rameau, told the Post. Rameau also noted that Kareem suffered cracked teeth during the altercation. "It was absolutely unwarranted. They had no reason to chase that poor child. They took a look at him and decided they were going to chase him and he got scared and ran."
The Post reached out to both Afanador and Isaac, but neither officer could be reached for comment.
According to the newspaper, "Afanador will face charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and official misconduct—with the weapons rap coming because he hit Tribble with a loaded gun. … Isaac will be charged with assault and official misconduct."
Kareem's father, Thomas Stephens, told the Post last month when he viewed the video that it was difficult to look at. "Watching the tape was hard. You're upset, you're angry," he told the Post. "The tape speaks for itself. I want to see [justice done]."
Read more at the New York Post.