New York City Mayor Eric Adams claims NYPD police took “appropriate action” following a violent encounter with a migrant in a city-operated shelter in Queens that was captured on video.
The NYPD has identified the man as 47-year-old Yanny Cordero, who is holding his one-year-old child, in a video that The New York Times was able to obtain showing police striking and using a stun gun on him repeatedly.
A police source described the deployment of the stun gun to ABC-owned station WABC-TV as a “dry stun,” in which cops hold the taser to a suspect and squeeze the trigger without firing probes, thus eliminating the risk to the youngster.
Police told ABC News that the toddler was not injured in the incident.
According to an NYPD representative, on March 8, cops were summoned to an argument involving an “intoxicated and disorderly male who was threatening staff members.” According to the police, Cordero repeatedly refused to hand over the youngster to someone else.
According to the New York Times, Cordero denied being inebriated, claiming a business commitment the next day.
A criminal complaint obtained by ABC News claims Cordero “tensed and flailed his arms as well as twisted and contorted his body to avoid being handcuffed.”
The footage appears to show three officers pulling Cordero to the ground and slamming his head against a desk after separating him from the youngster. One of the officers can be seen beating him twice in the face while a security officer attempts to wave them away, and witnesses beg for them to stop hitting Cordero.
“That’s abuse,” the individual capturing the video says in Spanish. “Where are the human rights?”
It is unknown what happened before the video.
A woman is also seen in the video attempting to place herself between the officers and Cordero in an apparent attempt to prevent them from subduing him before being pulled away by an officer. Police say Andrea Parrar, 22, Cordero’s wife, was arrested for interfering with the arrest.
The Queen’s District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint alleging that Parrar shoved numerous policemen and flailed her arms to avoid being handcuffed.
According to the complaint, the couple’s other two children, ages three and five, were present during the incident.
Police told ABC News that the Administration for Children’s Services was contacted about the children.
Cordero was detained on various offenses, including disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, second-degree impeding governmental administration, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, authorities told ABC News.
Parrar faced charges of resisting arrest, hindering government administration, and disruptive conduct.
According to Mayor Adams’ office, the family was reunited on Monday and assigned to a different shelter in Brooklyn after requesting a change.
A representative for City Hall stated that city officials are currently investigating the event but did not indicate which agency is handling the investigation.
“We are aware of an incident involving a family in our care at an emergency shelter in Jamaica, Queens, on Friday night. The health and safety of all migrants and long-term New Yorkers in our care, particularly small children, is always a primary priority, and the situation is currently being investigated,” the spokeswoman stated.
At a pre-scheduled press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Adams stated that he spoke with Police Commissioner Edward Caban about the event and believes the police acted appropriately.
“They wanted to pull that child out of that gentleman’s grasp after warning him multiple times to turn over the child.” Several times he refused,” Adams stated. “He was violent and volatile. They had to take the essential action, and according to our findings, those officers did it appropriately.”
The arrest has been strongly condemned by the New York Immigration Coalition, an advocacy and policy organization that represents over 200 immigrant rights groups.
“We are deeply concerned about the disturbing video captured at a migrant shelter in Queens, which depicts NYPD officers responding to an asylum seeker with violence, even as he cradles his 1-year-old baby. It is imperative that individuals under the City’s care receive genuine care and support, rather than being subjected to harm by staff or law enforcement,” expressed Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.
According to Awawdeh, it is crucial for the City to employ shelter staff who possess cultural competence and are bilingual or multilingual. This will help prevent communication breakdowns that can potentially escalate into violence due to misunderstandings. He emphasizes the importance of ensuring that everyone receives due process, and urges Mayor Adams to refrain from spreading inflammatory and unproven information about the case. Awawdeh also calls for a comprehensive investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s office, specifically focusing on the excessive force used in this incident.
