- Jan 15, 2013
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Diabetic Brooklyn teen denied insulin after being falsely arrested on attempted murder charges: suit
Richard Gonzalez’s condition is so serious that the 14-year-old wears an electronic pump programmed to administer doses of insulin every hour, the suit asserts. His family claims that during questioning, cops removed the pump and "with balled fists" they ‘tried to manipulate him into confessing’ to shooting his friend at a Bushwick Foot Locker.
Richard Gonzalez was wrongly arrested for a shooting at this Foot Locker in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and then was deliberately prevented from taking his insulin in an attempt to make the diabetic 14-year-old cop to the crime, his family claims in a new federal lawsuit targeting the NYPD.
The NYPD has been hit with a federal lawsuit by a Brooklyn family that claims cops bullied a diabetic teen who was denied insulin while falsely locked up on attempted murder charges.
Richard Gonzalez’s family said the only evidence cops had to tie the 14-year-old special-ed student to an April shooting at Foot Locker in Bushwick were eyewitnesses who told them the gunman was named “Richie.”
When police got the frightened boy alone in a men’s room at the 83rd Precinct, “with balled fists” they “tried to manipulate him into confessing,” the family’s lawyer Carmen Giordano wrote in court papers filed in Brooklyn federal court.
“You going down,” one of them said, according to the lawsuit.
“I was scared,” Gonzalez told The Daily News on Friday.
His condition is so serious that he wears an electronic pump programmed to administer doses of insulin every hour, the lawsuit says.
But Giordano said police removed the pump and threatened to throw the boy’s mom, Divian Ramos, out of the stationhouse when she objected to them questioning her son without Ramos present.
While Ramos was later allowed to bring the boy food and test his blood sugar levels, Giordano said once the teenager was charged with attempted murder she was not allowed anywhere near him.
By the time Gonzalez appeared before a judge, his sugar levels were so high he was gagging, dizzy, weak and nauseous, the suit asserts.
The accused teenager, who repeatedly denied shooting anyone, was transferred to two hospitals over the next few days and at one point spent three nights sleeping handcuffed to a bed, according to the lawsuit.
When Gonzalez could not come up with $75,000 bail, he was shipped off to a juvenile facility from which he was transported to two more hospitals — without his parent's knowledge — after his blood sugar soared.
Ultimately, the court papers say, the Brooklyn District Attorney dropped the charge against Gonzalez after learning that he was arrested solely on the grounds that his name was Richie — and that he was a Facebook friend of the victim, 15-year-old Isaiah Martinez.
It later turned out that the real “Richie” had been treated on the night of the shooting after he was stabbed.
Now Gonzalez has been branded a snitch in the neighborhood and, fearing for his safety, his mom wants the city to move them to another subsidizing housing site, according to court papers.
The family is also seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for false arrest, malicious prosecution, endangering the teenager's health and negligence.
There was no immediate response to the lawsuit from the NYPD.
Gonzalez was arrested after Martinez was shot in the foot for allegedly trying to cut in line at a Knickerbocker Ave. store to buy a pair of $250 Kanye West-designed Nike Air Foamposite Pro “Yeezy” sneakers.
“I was sleeping” at the time of the shooting, Gonzalez told The News.
Giordano said the teenager should not have been arrested in the first place.
“They focused on Richie exclusively and disregarded very strong evidence that’s it wasn’t him,” the lawyer said.
Even the victim told cops they nabbed the wrong Richie.
“They put a lot of pressure on the kid who was shot to change his story,” Giordano said. “They were trying to make the sneaker fit when it was not made to fit.”
Gonzalez said he would never hurt Martinez.
“We used to play together and go to parties,” he said of victim. “He was a good friend.”
Link to news source
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Man NYPD is corrupt as hell...bet they win this lawsuit. Yet the taxpayers will lose yet again.
Richard Gonzalez’s condition is so serious that the 14-year-old wears an electronic pump programmed to administer doses of insulin every hour, the suit asserts. His family claims that during questioning, cops removed the pump and "with balled fists" they ‘tried to manipulate him into confessing’ to shooting his friend at a Bushwick Foot Locker.
Richard Gonzalez was wrongly arrested for a shooting at this Foot Locker in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and then was deliberately prevented from taking his insulin in an attempt to make the diabetic 14-year-old cop to the crime, his family claims in a new federal lawsuit targeting the NYPD.
The NYPD has been hit with a federal lawsuit by a Brooklyn family that claims cops bullied a diabetic teen who was denied insulin while falsely locked up on attempted murder charges.
Richard Gonzalez’s family said the only evidence cops had to tie the 14-year-old special-ed student to an April shooting at Foot Locker in Bushwick were eyewitnesses who told them the gunman was named “Richie.”
When police got the frightened boy alone in a men’s room at the 83rd Precinct, “with balled fists” they “tried to manipulate him into confessing,” the family’s lawyer Carmen Giordano wrote in court papers filed in Brooklyn federal court.
“You going down,” one of them said, according to the lawsuit.
“I was scared,” Gonzalez told The Daily News on Friday.
His condition is so serious that he wears an electronic pump programmed to administer doses of insulin every hour, the lawsuit says.
But Giordano said police removed the pump and threatened to throw the boy’s mom, Divian Ramos, out of the stationhouse when she objected to them questioning her son without Ramos present.
While Ramos was later allowed to bring the boy food and test his blood sugar levels, Giordano said once the teenager was charged with attempted murder she was not allowed anywhere near him.
By the time Gonzalez appeared before a judge, his sugar levels were so high he was gagging, dizzy, weak and nauseous, the suit asserts.
The accused teenager, who repeatedly denied shooting anyone, was transferred to two hospitals over the next few days and at one point spent three nights sleeping handcuffed to a bed, according to the lawsuit.
When Gonzalez could not come up with $75,000 bail, he was shipped off to a juvenile facility from which he was transported to two more hospitals — without his parent's knowledge — after his blood sugar soared.
Ultimately, the court papers say, the Brooklyn District Attorney dropped the charge against Gonzalez after learning that he was arrested solely on the grounds that his name was Richie — and that he was a Facebook friend of the victim, 15-year-old Isaiah Martinez.
It later turned out that the real “Richie” had been treated on the night of the shooting after he was stabbed.
Now Gonzalez has been branded a snitch in the neighborhood and, fearing for his safety, his mom wants the city to move them to another subsidizing housing site, according to court papers.
The family is also seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for false arrest, malicious prosecution, endangering the teenager's health and negligence.
There was no immediate response to the lawsuit from the NYPD.
Gonzalez was arrested after Martinez was shot in the foot for allegedly trying to cut in line at a Knickerbocker Ave. store to buy a pair of $250 Kanye West-designed Nike Air Foamposite Pro “Yeezy” sneakers.
“I was sleeping” at the time of the shooting, Gonzalez told The News.
Giordano said the teenager should not have been arrested in the first place.
“They focused on Richie exclusively and disregarded very strong evidence that’s it wasn’t him,” the lawyer said.
Even the victim told cops they nabbed the wrong Richie.
“They put a lot of pressure on the kid who was shot to change his story,” Giordano said. “They were trying to make the sneaker fit when it was not made to fit.”
Gonzalez said he would never hurt Martinez.
“We used to play together and go to parties,” he said of victim. “He was a good friend.”
Link to news source
--------------------------------
Man NYPD is corrupt as hell...bet they win this lawsuit. Yet the taxpayers will lose yet again.
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