By Karen Matthews
Associated Press
NEW YORK — A former New York City police officer has been convicted of assault for punching a man in the face several times and breaking his nose while on patrol in 2021.
Former officer Juan Perez was found guilty Thursday following a two-day bench trial of assaulting Borim Husenaj in the Greenwich Village neighborhood on Nov. 10, 2021.
“Today a judge found former NYPD Officer Perez guilty of assault for punching an individual in the face six times,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “Members of law enforcement have important positions of trust in our city, and holding accountable those who violate that trust is essential for lasting public safety.”
According to an indictment filed last year, Perez and his partner were responding to a radio call when they spotted Husenaj acting erratically and holding a liquor bottle. After a verbal back-and-forth, Perez pushed Husenaj against the wall and tried to handcuff him, prosecutors said.
Both Perez and Husenaj fell to the ground, and Perez “proceeded to rapidly punch the victim” while he was “lying on the ground defenseless,” prosecutors said.
Husenaj, who was then 26, was treated for a broken nose and suffered “emotional and psychological injuries, pain, suffering, mental anguish, economic and pecuniary damages,” according to a lawsuit against Perez and New York City filed by his estate last year.
Perez retired from the police department last year. His attorney, Stuart London, told The New York Times that the officer had “responded to that location to help an individual.”
“When this individual turned on him and attacked him, all he did was stop the threat,” London said.
Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, said the verdict against Perez sent “a chilling message” to police officers.
“Cops are being violently attacked on the streets every day,” Hendry said in a statement. “If this is what happens when we try to protect ourselves, we won’t be able to protect the public. We believe this verdict ignores all the facts and we will be helping our police officer appeal it immediately.”
Suffolk County PD officials stated that the officer’s life was saved by his bullet-resistant vest and training
“The DFR program…integrates with the technology in our Real-Time Information Center [and] enhances our ability to allocate resources efficiently,” the Elk Grove PD stated
Evidence suggests that the man may have intended to die by suicide-by-cop, according to the Fullerton Police Department
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Husenaj went to live with family members in Kosovo in January 2022. He died by suicide in March of that year.
In their lawsuit, his heirs said the “vicious assault and battery” exacerbated Husenaj’s fear and paranoia and was a “substantial factor” in his suicide.
Husenaj’s family thanked the district attorney’s office and Judge Maxwell Wiley in a statement after Perez’s conviction.
“Borim is no longer with us to see justice served today and his name vindicated,” the family said, adding, “This was a great day for our family and all New Yorkers.”
Chris Dunn, the legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, praised Bragg’s office for bringing the case. “When district attorneys prosecute cops, they send a clear message to officers they’re not above the law,” Dunn said. “We need more of that police accountability.”
