New York police slice off man's ear for no reason

A New York man filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department after they sliced off his ear for no reason, according to court documents.

The man, who lives in the East Harlem section of Manhattan, called 911 for help with a domestic dispute. He claims that when police arrived they cut off his ear when he was thrown while handcuffed into a glass window, shattering it and sending fragments flying.

Jose Abreu, 41, called police from the lobby of his East 117 Street building because his girlfriend would not let him into the apartment, where he lived for 10 years.
"I was waiting for the police to help me, instead everything got worse," he told news reporters during an interview Friday at the office of his lawyer.

Police sources said that Abreu was acting aggressively, but he denied causing the incident that left him dazed and bleeding profusely, with his right ear was cut in half.
"I was annoyed, but I was cooperating. I showed no resistance," the man, who stands at 5-foot-4 tall and weighs just 100 pounds.

According to Abreu, the two officers came from the police station 25. They reached his building around 5:00 am, not long after he called 911 for help.
Recordings of the building security cameras show Abreu and his girlfriend standing quietly on opposite corners of the glass lobby when police arrived. The two argued before because he stayed out late with friends, Abreu said.

That is when he was suddenly handcuffed and slammed into the glass window sending glass flying and cutting his ear. He was rushed to a hospital where his ear was reattached.

He was discharged the next day and the police never charged him with any crime, Abreu said.

Altagracia Nunez, his lawyer filed a notice of claim seeking $10 million in damages, alleging physical and emotional distress and for violating his civil rights.

-Adapted from Your Jewish News