Politics & Government
Bed-Stuy Cops Arrest Dad Over Parked Car He Didn't Own: Suit
Keith Gadson was handcuffed and arrested in front of his 13-year-old son for failing to move a car he didn't own, a new lawsuit contends.
BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A father was arrested in front of his son by a hoard of Bed-Stuy cops enraged he could not move a double-parked car that was not his, a new civil suit contends.
Keith Gadson filed Wednesday a lawsuit against the city and NYPD officers he says threw him against the hood of a car, handcuffed him in front of his 13-year-old son and arrested him on trumped up charges, Brooklyn court records show.
“Apparently you can be arrested in Brooklyn for refusing to move a car you don’t own," said attorney Cary London of the firm Shulman Hill PLLC. "We look forward to proving Mr. Gadson’s case in Court and defending his civil rights.”
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Police officers descended on Gadson and his son on their way to dinner about 8:30 p.m. on May 21 near the corner of Tompkins Avenue and Quincy Street, the suit contends.
Gadson and his son waited to cross the street next to a double-parked car when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by police cruisers and eight excited cops, the lawsuit states.
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According to the complaint, one officer demanded Gadson move the double-parked car and when the dad tried to explain the car wasn't his, another cop screamed, “lock him up!”
The cops shoved Gadson face-first against the car hood and handcuffed him in front of his son, who watched with confusion and "with nobody to take care of him," the suit contends.
Police hauled Gadson to the Bed-Stuy precinct two blocks away where he was strip-searched, charged and sent to Central Booking, according to the complaint.
Gadson waited 24 hours for an arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges of unlawful parking and obstruction of governmental administration, the suit contends.
According to the complaint, Gadson pleaded not guilty and the case against Gadson was dismissed and sealed in October.
Gadson accuses the city and the NYPD of negligence, unlawful seizure, false imprisonment and excessive force, among other allegations.
The city's Law Department declined to comment on the case.
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