Paterson man alleges cop ‘physically attacked’ him at gunpoint, lawsuit
By Jayed Rahman
Published: April 26, 2016
In a federal lawsuit filed earlier in the month, a city man is alleging he was “physically attacked at gunpoint” by a police officer while walking on a city street in late September, according to a court complaint.
Faraj Murra alleges police officer Luis Torres “physically attacked” him at “gunpoint,” according to the complaint filed on April 12th, 2016. Murra exited a barbershop in the city and was walking through a street on September 23rd, 2015 when he came across Torres, who was off-duty at the time and inside a car.
Torres allegedly “grabbed Murra and assaulted and attacked him, pulling his service weapon and pointing it at Murray in a threatening and menacing manner,” reads the complaint.
Murra’s lawsuit states he was targeted by Torres because of his race and ethnicity. Murra is a Muslim while Torres is Hispanic, according to the complaint.
Murra filed an “excessive force” complaint with the city; however, that complaint did not go far, according to the complaint.
“Paterson treated the bias crime as minor infraction,” reads the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges the city received “several complaints” about Torres’ conduct prior to the September incident.
Murra allegedly suffered “severe and grievous personal injuries” as a result of the incident, states the seven-count complaint.
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