NYPD Fires Cop Who Stomped on Man's Head in Bed-Stuy

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — The NYPD has fired Joel Edouard, the cop who stomped on the head of Jahmi-El Cuffee in Bed-Stuy in July 2014.

In April, Edouard, 38, was found guilty of a misdemeanor assault. He received a sentence of two years probation in June.

The judge who issued the sentence ordered Edouard to be fired within 24 hours by the NYPD, but his right to a departmental review delayed that outcome.

In 2014, Edouard was one of several officers who arrested Cuffee, 32, outside 223 Malcolm X Blvd. Cuffee had allegedly been drinking and smoking marijuana, but amateur video captured a rapidly escalating altercation in which Cuffee was pinned to the ground by Edouard and another cop.

The video started once the officers had already decided to arrest Cuffee, and did not show what preceded that moment.

After back-up cops arrived, Edouard walked away from the scene, came back, and stomped on Cuffee's head.

According to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, "Cuffee’s head then hit the concrete, causing him to suffer a contusion and later dizziness, headaches and nausea."

In a statement, Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson said Edouard "deserved to spend time in jail for committing such a blatant act of police brutality."

Prosecutor Marc Fliedner used harsher language during Edouard's trial, saying the officer acted like he was “stomp(ing) on a roach that you intend to kill.”

But Edouard's lawyer, Anthony Ricco, said the cop stomped on Cuffee's hand, not his head, and said Cuffee had exaggerated his injuries.

Ricco also said Edouard had engaged in "good police work" during the stop, adding that "he's not a superhero."

Pictured: Joel Edouard, left, stomping on the head of Jahmi-El Cuffee. Image via amateur video.