Crown Heights Lost 'A Heart Full Of Love' To NYPD Negligence: Suit

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — The family of a man fatally hit by an NYPD van and dragged to his death in Crown Heights last year continued their fight for accountability Thursday when they filed suit against the city, court records show.

Ronald Anthony Smith's family, — who fear the 52-year-old died because a cop behind the wheel felt an unnecessary need for speed — filed a civil suit against the city, the NYPD and officers Orkhan Mamedov and Evan Siegel.

"Officer Mamedov, who has a history of violations on the job, abused his emergency privileges, and drove recklessly, causing the death of Mr. Smith, a beloved family and community member," the suit claims.

The suit comes just a month after Attorney General Letitia James announced the officer driving the van would not face criminal charges, a decision that outraged the family.

"What we're seeing repeatedly is that this city does not want to hold NYPD accountable when they murder civilians," Loyda Colon, Executive Director of Justice Committee, said at the time.

Mamedov was driving in a police vehicle transporting detainees to Brooklyn Central Booking April 7, 2022 when he fatally struck the 52-year-old, in an area Smith reportedly panhandled, according to the New York Daily News and James.

The officer drove into a painted median at Schenectady Avenue and Eastern Parkway to avoid a crash with an SUV that swerved into his way, James' office reported in a 128-page report. The van then struck and dragged Smith, authorities said.

Videos released by James' office in 2022 show multiple angles of the crash, including Mamedov and Siegel's body-worn camera footage.

The lawsuit takes aim at the officers' speeding and "reckless" driving with poor visibility given rain.

Many of the perceived "reckless moves" — like speeding and driving in non-vehicular lanes — could be permissible given the officer was transporting individuals in custody, a situation legally deemed an emergency for cops, according to James' report.

Even still, a driver would be expected to show "due regard for the safety of all persons," according to the report.

The suit also claims the officers failed to administer proper first aid, a claim stemming from the single-handed CPR one of the cops can be seen administering on camera.

"I’m a trained healthcare worker and am CPR certified," Smith's sister Julie Floyd said at the time. "I know what proper CPR looks like and that was not CPR."

The family's lawyers also place culpability on the city's back.

"As part of a longstanding pattern, Defendant City has failed to inculcate a culture among its police officers that prevents NYPD officers’ abuse of their authority and privileges, including emergency privileges," lawyers claim in the suit.

The family said it has filed a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board seeking the firing of both officers in the van.

Smith's family remembers him as a loving man.

"Anthony had a heart full of love and a joke on his lips,” Lillian Goode, Smith's sister, said in a statement.