NYPD officers accused of violating policy in moped crash that injured a 14-year-old.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against several officers of the New York Police Department (NYPD) in Queens, accusing them of deliberately colliding with a moped carrying a 14-year-old boy. The crash has raised significant concerns regarding adherence to established NYPD policies governing vehicular pursuits and the use of force. The lawsuit, submitted by the teenager’s father Mahmoud Saleh in Brooklyn Federal Court, alleges that law enforcement actions were both reckless and a violation of departmental guidelines.
The lawsuit details that the young passenger on the moped sustained serious injuries, including a fractured femur and a substantial head bruise. In a troubling turn of events, the teenager was handcuffed as he was placed into an ambulance for medical treatment, despite not facing any charges stemming from the encounter. The lawsuit postulates that the incident is indicative of an alleged “unwritten policy” within the NYPD, which permits officers to utilize their vehicles to physically confront and intercept riders of two-wheeled vehicles.
This incident is not isolated; the New York State Attorney General recently criticized the NYPD’s tactics in handling similar situations, especially following an incident that resulted in a fatality. The NYPD’s own Patrol Guide explicitly forbids the ramming of vehicles or positioning police vehicles in a way that could lead to a collision with a pursued vehicle. Last year’s revisions to the vehicle pursuit policy further limited officers’ ability to chase suspects unless they were involved in violent or felony crimes.
On the evening of the incident, the teenager was riding behind a friend on a moped near the intersection of 101st Street and Northern Boulevard. According to the lawsuit, an NYPD vehicle was observed two blocks behind them without any apparent attempt to halt their movement. Subsequently, another NYPD vehicle crossed into their path without activating its sirens or lights and collided with the moped.
The resulting crash knocked the boy unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness, he found himself handcuffed and in considerable pain, with the cuffs removed only after he underwent a CT scan at the hospital. The NYPD, which has been intensifying operations against unlicensed moped riders, did not provide comments regarding the specific circumstances of this incident or the lawsuit’s allegations.
The teenager’s father revealed his shock upon learning of the incident. He received an alert from an app related to his son’s phone, which notified him of the crash. While he was inquiring about the circumstances surrounding his son’s handcuffing at Bellevue Hospital, officers indicated that criminal charges would not be filed.
This incident follows a broader critique of NYPD operational tactics in the wake of prior accidents, such as a fatal collision involving dirtbike rider Samuel Williams and an NYPD vehicle earlier this year. A report by the Office of Special Investigation highlighted troubling practices related to police interventions involving motorcycles and mopeds, emphasizing risks posed to public safety.
The NYPD has not provided specific responses to the recent lawsuit, noting that an internal investigation is currently underway concerning the operations conducted in Queens. The ongoing scrutiny of police practices, particularly in relation to vehicle pursuits, suggests a potential reevaluation of how such incidents are managed moving forward. The evolving legal landscape and public response may compel the NYPD to reassess its policies in the interest of both community safety and departmental accountability.
