A 32-year-old man died in police custody Friday morning whereas ready to be arraigned in court docket in Brooklyn after being arrested for shoplifting three days earlier, in response to a joint assertion from two public defenders organizations.
“Earlier today, we were notified that a person, who had been arrested on charges of a low-level crime, passed away in NYPD custody at Kings County Criminal Court,” the assertion by The Authorized Help Society and Brooklyn Defender Companies learn. “This person, who should have been granted a desk appearance and released based on the offense, languished in pain in custody for three days and was deprived of medical care despite repeated pleas from defense lawyers and other personnel to secure them needed care. This level of indifference is unconscionable.”
Underneath New York Metropolis legislation, the person ought to have been issued a desk-appearance ticket and launched, a lawsuit filed on his behalf by The Authorized Help Society states. The identical legislation requires folks to be arraigned inside 24 hours of their arrest, except there’s a cheap rationalization for the delay, in response to the lawsuit, which requires an investigation into the dying.
Police didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Initially Revealed: March 21, 2025 at 8:17 PM EDT
