Man claims sexual assault by NYC cops
10.24.2008 4:13pm EDT
(New York City) Prosecutors are investigating allegations that five New York City police officers attacked a tattoo parlor worker and sodomized him with a walkie-talkie in a subway station.
The 24-year-old man says the officers then wrote him a disorderly conduct ticket and abandoned him as he was writhing in pain.The police department disputes the allegations and strongly denies the man was sodomized.
“Police officers grappled with an individual who they observed smoking marijuana after he had fled and resisted being handcuffed. His assertion that he was sodomized is not supported by independent civilian witnesses on the scene,” NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said in a statement.
The case is being investigated by the police department and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
The accusations brought back memories of the 1997 assault of Abner Louima, who was beaten and sodomized with a broomstick in a police precinct by officers in one of the most notorious cases of police brutality in NYPD history.
In the latest case, lawyers for the accuser came forward Thursday afternoon with the startling allegations, and a hospital confirmed that he was admitted on the day of the alleged attack and spent four days there.
The man was back in the hospital on Thursday, complaining he was urinating blood and suffering lingering pain, the Daily News reported.
Lawyers say five police officers approached Michael Mineo on Oct. 15 around 12:30 p.m. because they believed he was smoking marijuana near a subway stop in Brooklyn.
When the tattoo parlor employee entered the station, he claims officers jumped him from behind, handcuffed him and wrestled him to the ground, according to attorney Stephen Jackson.
Mineo told his lawyers that he felt a foot on his neck as the officers beat him, then yanked down his pants and sodomized him with the walkie-talkie. The lawyers say the officers took the bleeding Mineo into a police car, wrote him a disorderly conduct ticket and left him at the subway station.
“My God, this just sent chills throughout my body when I heard this,” Jackson said. “This is one of the most horrendous acts of police brutality.”
One of Mineo’s co-workers took him to the hospital, where he remained most of the week with internal injuries. His attorney says the hospital administrator contacted the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office because it appeared Mineo was the victim of a sexual assault.
Jackson said medical records corroborate Mineo’s story, but would not immediately provide copies of them. Mineo was not available to speak. Brookdale Hospital officials confirmed that he was admitted on Oct. 15 and discharged four days later.
Jackson said he and Mineo didn’t go public with the allegations right away because they wanted to give prosecutors time to investigate.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said many initial details about the incident cast doubt on Mineo’s claims.
For instance, the official said Mineo initially yelled at the scene that he had been shocked with a stun-gun by the officers, but none of the officers was carrying the weapon.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office says it doesn’t comment on any open investigations. Mineo was previously arrested in June on a charge of gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon.




Why is this on a gay site? Because it’s not just a gay site. This is a website about a lot of different gender and sexuality issues, and this situation is one in which, historically, gender roles and sexuality have often come into play regarding the charging and verdict of the crime.
Rape is an under reported crime and male rape victims are even less likely to report their victimization exactly because of issues of gender role and sexuality, so this case is an interesting one for readers of this website who hope that the law will advance to catch up with modern knowledge of sex, sexuality, gender, and justice.
I was wondering the same thing Aviad. I don’t see any mention (in the article) that the arrested or the officers were gay or lesbian. Maybe the person that is responsible for content on the site can explain this to us?
And why is this story here? What’s the LGBT connection, exactly? Or is anything that contains the word “sodomize” automatically a “gay-themed” story?
If the cops wanted to sodomize a guy, they would do it back at the precinct. Too many cameras & witnesses in the subway!!!
Yeah, someone’s lying all right, and that someone is Michael Mineo. What a load of BS.
somehow I don’t believe this story,its too unbelievable..Someone is lying
Ok, let see:
1. 5 officers – a union meeting, special detail, change of shift or retirement party?
2. Transit unit, precient or both?
3. Uniformed or anti crime(plainclothes)?
4. If they saw him smoking marijanna why was he issued a disorderly conduct summons and not a marrijanna ticket? DUH?
5. Why did they wait until he entered the subway to put him in custody?
6. Was he still smoking when he entered the subway and if so why wasn’t he issued a summons for smoking anything in the subway?
Answers/comments:
1. Poor supervision and use of manpower!
2. Transit units don’t get credit for street work unless it involves a bus!
3.Anti crime (plaincothes) are sometimes confused with the bad guys especially in large groups!
4. Looks suspicious to me. Might be a “cover my ass” summons!
5. see #2
6.See #4
Since they allegedly pulled his pants down maybe they thought he had secreted the joint in his anus and were conducting a search for evidence! Then again he could be a nut job. The truth and the law never stops a “good” ambulance chaser from going for the gold!!!
On the other hand, how can we expect the police to obey the law when their leader, Mayor “3rd term” Blumberg thinks he’s so indispencable that it doesn’t apply to him.The cemeteries are full of indispencable people, maybe we should send him there!!!