Hell's Kitchen Activist Sues NYPD Over Military-Style Siege: Suit

HELL'S KITCHEN, NEW YORK — The Black Lives Matter activist who live-streamed cops staging an hours-long "terrifying, military-style" siege outside his Hell's Kitchen home has filed suit against the city, court records show.

Derrick Ingram, 29, said he feared for his life after he refused entry into his West 45th Street apartment to police who claimed they possessed but could not produce a warrant, according to lawsuit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Federal Court.

"Mr. Ingram watched and listened in horror as the NYPD deployed snipers, drones, helicopters, police dogs, and dozens of police officers," the lawsuit states.

"Mr. Ingram, who had spent the summer marching in response to police brutality and systemic racial violence, was petrified that if he opened his door, he would be the next victim in a long line of Black people killed by police officers."

A Law Department spokesperson said the office would review the suit and police spokesperson Detective Sophia Mason added, "The NYPD will decline comment on pending litigation."

NYPD officers who arrived at Ingram's home on Aug. 7 about 7:30 a.m. said Police said he was wanted for assault after allegedly blasting a megaphone in the ear of a police officer at a Black Lives Matter protest on June 14, 2020, according to the complaint.

According to the suit, the NYPD had identified Ingram at a Bayside protest in July.

Ingram refused to open the door to an officer who banged on his door and claimed to have a warrant but could only produce a business card identifying him, the suit contends.

Ingram started to film.

The six-hour standoff escalated quickly as police pulled in more officers and Ingram's live-stream drew activists from his group Warriors in the Garden, elected officials and crowds of New Yorkers.

During the siege, Ingram found in his home the light of a red laser he feared belonged to a sniper rifle and police officers staring at him from his fire escape, the suit contends.

"To say that I was terrified is an understatement — I was traumatized, I still am," Ingram later testified to his local community board. "I fear deep down in my core that if I opened my door to those officers, my life would be swiftly taken."

Ingram accuses the NYPD of excessive force, retaliation, violation of due process and malicious prosecution, among other claims, and seeks a jury trial and damages to be determined, court records show.

"Mr. Ingram was the perfect target for a conspicuous show of force by the NYPD," the lawsuit states.

"The NYPD’s ruthless tactics were deliberately designed to silence Mr. Ingram and to send an intimidating signal about what happens to people who denounce police brutality and supported the principle that Black lives matter."

Previous coverage:

• Hell's Kitchen Activist Recounts NYPD Raid: 'I Was Traumatized'
• Borough Prez Demands Answers In Siege Of Activist's Apartment