The man was eventually surrounded by the officers and complied when he was ordered to put his hands in the air, officials said. In the Trenton case, city cops Villanueva and Inman were hit in a six-count indictment that charged civilrights deprivation and falsifying police records. Like our content? One part of the video shows Inman punching the suspect before bragging to the person recording the video, saying, I beat the living sh*t he stops when the other officer points to his body camera. He only had three things. The Trenton Police Department has punished a number of officers accused of conduct unbecoming a public servant since the turn of the century, culminating with the recent firing of patrol. Yo, why would you do that, he recalled saying. The public has an absolute right to trust that law enforcement will protect those they serve and keep them safe. Villanueva is charged with two counts of obstruction, and Inman with one count of obstruction. Attorney Robin Lord is seeing her client Chanzie Washington's claims of police brutality vindicated. A New Jersey appeals court has affirmed the 2018 firing of a Trenton police officer terminated for pepper spraying a suspect inside a jail cell. The whole scuffle was caught on surveillance cameras and the footage was released to The Trentonian. "It's perfectly proper the way he handled himself," Villanueva's attorney, Jerome Ballarotto, said. The video shows a fence separated Washington from most of the officers, who had their guns trained on him. 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Her first official day isnt till May 1. See Average Property Tax Bill In Lawrence Township, Per New Data, Catholics In Diocese Of Trenton Can Eat Meat On St. Patrick's Day, Head-Shaving Event At Lawrence Restaurant To Raise Funds For Cancer, Office Furniture & Soft Seating Liquidation Sale, NJ Camp Fairs at Menlo Park Mall Mar 4, 2023 - FREE to Attend (12-3PM), Protect Your Home from Ticks with Yard Guard from Viking Pest, AMC Theatres In NJ To Base Pricing Off Where You Sit, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk]. Inman and Villanueva returned to the police station to prepare reports in connection with the victims arrest. Thats his gun, his physical strength and his courage.. They also took Officer Inman into custody at Trenton police headquarters. Incidents like these erode the publics confidence in law enforcement, and make policing harder for everyone whose job it is to keep our communities safe., Civil Rights violations are of great concern, particularly when the allegations involve a member of law enforcement, FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie said. All rights reserved (About Us). Trenton police officers chased him down. Mar. Bongiovanni ordered the government to turn over to the defense the names of any witnesses and victims so there wasnt any confusion. The public has an absolute right to trust that law enforcement will protect those they serve and keep them safe. Its a whole family of public servants in the city of Trenton, he said. First published on April 23, 2019 / 6:49 PM. Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, Indicted! TRENTON, NJ - Two Trenton police officers have been arrested by federal agents and charged with assault and obstruction of justice, authorities announced on Tuesday. To justify their actions against the victim, Inman and Villanueva prepared and submitted false and fraudulent reports, in which they attempted to portray the victim as the aggressor and an ongoing threat. All say they were beaten up by Villanueva. Those cops beat the living sh** out of Rodney King, and those cops overstepped their bounds. Lock Sign up for our free summaries and get the latest delivered directly to you. Michigan Department of Corrections via AP Law enforcement officials on Tuesday named Anthony Dwayne McRae, a 43-year-old resident of Lansing, Michigan, as the suspect in the overnight shooting at Michigan State University that took the lives of three students and wounded five others. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Ballarotto plans to hire a police expert to testify that the officer's physicality was within the law. 3/5/2023 6529843 reed anthony 3/5/2023 6391927 reyes ignacio 3/5/2023 6553956 rodriguez jonatan 3/5/2023 6547498 salinas ricardo . Sitting next to their attorneys, they remained quiet as U.S. assistant attorney Joseph Gribko briefly recapped the case against them. Villanueva, who was eventually fired by the city department and is fighting to get his job back, had been pulled off the streets and re-assigned to lockup following a separate altercation months before with Chanzie Washington. The arresting departments are noted: Coweta County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), Chattahoochee Hills Police Department (CHPD . A number of officers went around to the other side of the fence, including one officer equipped with a body camera. Quaree Singletary engaged in a struggle with city cop Anthony Villanueva after Villanueva abruptly ended Singletary's phone call to relatives. Villanueva was fired by Trenton police last summer for an alleged pattern of excessive force. All rights reserved, Philly POPS Musicians Disappointed' by Recent Moves, Trump Supporters Get Parole in Philadelphia Weapons Case, Check Your Change! Body cam video acquired by The Trentonian shows an officer, seemingly unprovoked, punch Washington in the head and tackle Washington to the ground, where he was punched even more. Villanueva was fired in June 2018 and was in the process of fighting to get his job back. Docket #: 1879852 Defendant: CHANDLER , ANTHONY Charge: DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Arresting Officer: MORTON, STONEY #012, Complaint #: A 029285G 2022 Arrest Date: 7/3/2022 Presiding Judge: ABLES, LARRY Division: 3 Court Room: 3 CJUS8023 Hamilton County General Sessions Court - Criminal Division Trial Docket 3/1/2023 Page No: 3 ar_Master_Docket Villanueva also faces three civil lawsuits from Washington, Singletary, and Salaam Felton. While Washington was complying, Villanueva punched him in the face. Singletary, who is no stranger to cops having been arrested multiple times, told The Trentonian in a previous interview he remembered asking Villanueva why he ended his call. The arrest of Inman happened a day after the city introduced new police director Sheilah Coley. "In this situation, he did not elect to draw his weapon, it stayed in the holster and he brought the guy down to the ground and handcuffed him," Ballarotto said. An arrest constitutes only the initiation of charges, and those arrested are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law. California residents do not sell my data request. A police aide rushed to try to help subdue Singletary, who allegedly elbowed Villanueva during the altercation. According toTrentonian,the Trenton Police Department is setting up the Hispanic cop, Officer Anthony Villanueva, as the sole fall guy and Villanueva was placed on restricted duty within a week, but Inman remained on the streets for more than a month before being placed on restriction. As of last month,Villanueva was suspended without pay. TRENTON A Trenton police officer and a former colleague accused of assaulting a man during an arrest have pleaded not guilty to civil rights violations and obstruction of justice charges. As I reached for the phone, Singletary smacked my hand out of the way.. Quaree Singletary uses a bed mattress to shield himself from mace during a struggle in TPD lockup. The Trentonian reported on those dustups, both of which were caught on tape. Authorities say the driver involved in the stop fled in his vehicle and then on foot as officers pursued. 970 Broad Street, 7th Floor Have a question about Government Services? In a rare interview with a former cop still facing criminal charges for alleged use of excessive force, NJ Advance Media spoke to Villanueva who said he stands by his actions and followed his training and New Jersey Attorney Generals guidelines on the use of force each time. It was not immediately clear if that charge was dropped. In proceedings in the OAL and the appeals court, the judge found Villanuevas reporting on the incident was starkly different from parts of the incident caught on police security cameras. An official website of the United States government. Police Department Kanifah M. Wood, Trenton Police Department Eric W. Woodrow, West Windsor Police Department. TRENTON, N.J. Two Trenton police officers have been charged with civil rights and obstruction of justice charges for allegedly assaulting a man they were arresting, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today. When that trust is violated, it makes it more difficult for our fellow police officers and federal agents to maintain the community's confidence.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Villanueva is charged with two counts of obstruction while Inman is charged with one count of obstruction in connection to the incident. At no time during this encounter did the plaintiff harass, or threaten the defendants, nor engage in any conduct, which in any way justified the excessive force used by defendants.. 10, 2022 - 4:46 PM. Racist Ex-University Of Kentucky 'Karen' Sophia Rosing Is Charged For Assaulting Black Student, Mississippi Cops Beat, Waterboarded Handcuffed Black Men, Shot 1 For Dating White Women': Lawyers. Villanueva is charged with two counts of obstruction, and Inman with one count of obstruction, in connection with that incident. When that trust is violated, it makes it more difficult for our fellow police officers and federal agents to maintain the communitys confidence.. They are accused of assaulting a man during a traffic stop in 2017. The counts against both officers stem from a traffic stop on April 9, 2017, in Trenton. Investigators said he pepper sprayed a defendant while in a holding cell area of Trenton police headquarters. Inman then charged at Washington and tackled him from behind, and joined Villanueva in repeatedly punching Washington in the face, according to the indictment against them. Washington also got decked in the face by a Villanueva haymaker after he appeared to surrender to cops from behind a chain-link fence after a long chase. TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Two Trenton police officers are now in trouble with the law. However, the lawsuit painted Singletary as a blameless victim. The beginning of the videos dont include sound until after Washington is struck, so it is unclear what led the officers to tackle Washington to the ground. The two appeared to exchange words in the soundless video moments before tempers flared. While the man was complying with further police commands, Villanueva approached the man and punched him in the face and Inman tackled the man to the ground. Officer Drew Inman and former city Officer Anthony Villanueva entered their pleas Wednesday during their arraignments in federal court. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Former officer Anthony Villanueva and current officer Drew Inman appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon. Kieffer III, the son of Capt. And then you have the old regime supervising these people. The incident was caught on body camera. The federal case against them was initially scheduled for trial in 2020, but has been repeatedly postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. That decision was then adopted by the states Civil Service Commission. Washington jumped into the canal and swam to the opposite bank, climbing up a steep, brush-lined embankment near a parking lot. Im hopeful there will be more to come.. This is not a Rodney King situation, he said. Villanueva filed 14 use-of-force reports in a two-year period, higher than the statewide average of 4.1 use-of-force reports per officer over a five-year period, according to NJ.coms reporting on statewide use-of-force records. A-4302-18T3 (App. To justify their actions, authorities said Inman and Villanueva prepared false and fraudulent reports in which they portrayed Washington as the aggressor and an ongoing threat. The appeals court fully backed the OAL judge, Jeff Masin, in his findings that Villanueva was properly terminated. We will have problems if you do.. All rights reserved (About Us). Villanueva later completed an incident report that contained numerous false statements designed to conceal his unlawful conduct and improper treatment of the prisoner. Villanuevas attorney, Jerome Ballarotto, insists his client didnt punch the man however. On Nov. 28, 2017, Villanueva, who had been assigned to work in the holding cell area of Trenton Police Headquarters, sprayed Oleoresin Capsicum (commonly referred to a pepper spray) on a prisoner who was confined in a holding cell. Trenton:609-989-2190 TPD officers were on the other side waiting for Washington, who immediately gave himself up and raised his hands in the air, the indictment says. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. My eyes burned for like two, three days.. On November 28, 2017, Villanueva was on duty at the Trenton Police Department Detention Center. On Nov. 28, 2017, Villanueva pepper sprayed a prisoner who was confined to a holding cell at Trenton Police Headquarters, according to authorities.