Man sues Paterson police for alleged use of excessive force
By Jayed Rahman
Published: October 29, 2018
A man has filed a lawsuit alleging police officers used excessive force against him and took $800 in cash, according to a complaint filed in federal court.
Mark Chandler claims police officers struck him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and lose consciousness “without provocation” during an interaction on Mar. 3, 2018.
The complaint does not say where the incident happened. It states Chandler, his brother, and a friend were on a public sidewalk. Police officers approached his brother and friend. Lawsuit names police officers Tyseme Holmes and Daniel Cirasa.
Chandler approached Holmes wanting to know why officers approached his brother and friend. He claims officers became “belligerent” at his inquiry.
“Suddenly and without any justification, Defendant Tyseme assaulted Plaintiff with such force that Plaintiff fell back and hit his head on the pavement causing a large gash on the back of Plaintiff’s head,” states the lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
The lawsuit states other officers did not intervene to stop the alleged assault. Chandler “became incoherent, and suffered a concussion” as a result of the alleged attack. He was arrested and charged with several crimes. His charges were later dismissed, according to the lawsuit.
Moreover, Chandler claims police officers removed $800 from his person and kept it.
Chandler filed an Internal Affairs complaint, but did not receive any response from police on the status of any investigations against the named officers. The lawsuit describes the city’s police Internal Affairs investigations as a “sham” designed to protect officers.
Chandler is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and legal fees. His lawsuit is also seeking a court order to place the police department in “receivership for the purpose of instituting programs to train, instruct, discipline, control, and supervise the officers.”
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