Cop Accused Of Knocking Out Clinton Hill Teenager

A video has surfaced that is alleged to have captured use of excessive force by an 88th Precinct officer on a teenager in Clinton Hill.

Marcel Hamer, 17, says he was walking home from school in June when the plainclothes cop in the video mistook his cigarette for a joint. In the footage, taken on a passerby’s cellphone, Marcel is seen laying in the gutter attempting to reason with the officer.

Next, the officer is reported to have punched Marcel. While the alleged punch is obscured behind a tree on the recording, a loud crack can be heard before Marcel reappears, seemingly unconscious.

The Hamer family, who is suing the city for $5 million, say the actions they believe the officer took have had a lasting impact on Marcel.

“He’s been complaining of headaches, he’s been repeating a lot of things, he’s different,” Marcel’s mother Mary told ABC 7, where the footage cane be seen. She says neighbors contacted her during the incident, telling her that Marcel “was being abused by the police.”

NY1 says Marcel woke up only while being put on a stretcher. He was charged with resisting arrest and pled guilty to disorderly conduct. His lawyers say police found no drugs on him.

The video was the second in a day to demonstrate the alleged use of excessive force on Brooklyn teenagers accused of committing nonviolent offenses; the first was an altercation between police and 16-year-old Kahreem Tribble of Bedford Stuyvesant, for which one 79th Precinct officer has been suspended and another has been placed on modified duty.

The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau are handling both cases, while the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association tells ABC that both videos lack sufficient context to judge whether the force used was excessive.

If you’re interested in the current state of police conduct and practices in NYC, you can sign up ahead of time to attend BRIC’s October 14 panel discussion, Race, Policing, and Civil Rights: A Community Town Hall.