Carmelo Mendez filed a lawsuit against the city of\nBridgeport seeking $5 million in damages after police officers allegedly beat\nhim, denied him medical care and arrested him after being called to a\ndisturbance during a birthday party, according to an article in ctpost.com. <\/p>\n\n\n
The incident occurred during a birthday party at his\nsister\u2019s home in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n
The lawsuit, filed June 4 in U.S. District Court, claims Mendez\u2019s constitutional rights were violated by Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, Police Chief Armando Perez, and 13 police officers. The suit further claims Ganim and Perez took part in an attempted cover-up.<\/p>\n\n\n
The lawsuit is yet another chapter in the largest case of\nalleged police misconduct in the city\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n
Police Commission Chairman Daniel Roach told Hearst\nConnecticut Media the commission is deliberating what action to take against\nthree of the officers involved \u2014 Officer Michael Stanitis, Sgt. Paul Scillia\nand Officer Daniel Faroni \u2014 following a series of hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n
An Office of Internal Affairs Investigation found that 17\nBridgeport police officers and two civilian detention officers used excessive\nforce, lied on official reports and violated numerous department regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n
Last month, a Superior Court judge dismissed the criminal\ncharges against Mendez after state prosecutors agreed to drop the case.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cFor almost two years, I\u2019ve been dealing not only with pain\nbut also with a justice system that has not reached a conclusion on what to do\nwith these officers who violated my rights. I want justice,\u201d Mendez said on\nJune 4 when the lawsuit was filed.<\/p>\n\n\n
On Oct. 21, 2017, Mendez was at the home of his sister,\nWanda Mendez, celebrating his niece\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n
At about 9 p.m. police officer Natalie McLaughlin responded\nto a noise complaint at the home.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cDespite the fact that Police Chief Armando Perez evaluation\ncharacterized this as a \u2018nothing incident,\u2019 officers placed a distress call\nwith dispatch which requires that all officers respond,\u201d the lawsuit states.\n\u201cThe chaotic events that followed involved 46 officers, unrestrained,\ngratuitous violence by numerous police officers, and a failure by veteran\nofficers to de-escalate the unconstitutional actions of officers under their\nsupervision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
Carmelo Mendez was taking video of the incident on his cell\nphone.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cA few moments later, after Carmelo Mendez videotaped the\npolice aggressively pulling his mother down a flight of steps while handcuffed,\nseveral officers engaged in a ruthless beating of Mr. Mendez,\u201d the lawsuit\nstates.<\/p>\n\n\n
According to the lawsuit, officer Adam Szeps struck Carmelo\nMendez and threw him on the ground. Before being handcuffed, the suit claims,\nScillia punched and kicked Mendez while he was lying on the ground face down.<\/p>\n\n\n
Once handcuffed, Scillia punched Mendez several times and\nagain kicked him, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n
As he lay on the ground, Stanitis struck Mendez in the head several times with an unknown object causing bruising and distinct marks. Officers Hugo Stern, Joseph Cruz, and Kenneth Fortes joined other officers in beating Mendez both before and after he was handcuffed, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n\n\n
It also claims that after the beatings, Mendez was suffering\nfrom a serious head trauma that officers failed to provide Mendez with\nimmediate medical attention. Mendez lost consciousness in the booking area and\nwas taken in handcuffs to Bridgeport hospital for medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n
Mendez required further medical treatment at the Veteran\u2019s\nAdministration Hospital as a result of the beating, the lawsuit states. Mendez\nsustained scarring to his head, contusions to his head and body, and injury to\nhis eye and suspected traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n\n\n