Man Says He Was Beaten and Harassed by NYPD for Unknowingly Giving Directions to Cop Killer
Karim Baker said he has been harassed by NYPD officers because he unknowingly gave directions to a cop killer last December in Brooklyn, New York. Before that day, Baker told authorities he had never met Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who later shot Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu to death. Baker says he is being unfairly targeted.
“I have nothing in my heart against law enforcement at all,” said Baker. He is the son of a former corrections officer. “I have no hatred at all toward law enforcement.”
The 26-year-old, who is African-American, told The Daily News he has had 20 traffic stops since the murders. He was never issued a ticket for any. Then on Oct. 21 in Corona, Queens, he described being beaten by brutal cops who left him with cuts and bruises. Cops say Baker was parked illegally. He was arrested that night and charged with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and obstructing police. Baker said he did not have drugs on him and that he was parked legally.
“Twenty times in a year is a lot of times to be pulled over and never issued a summons,” Baker's lawyer Eric Subin said. “This is our strongly held theory. It’s too much of a bizarre coincidence not to hold water.”
Baker has filed a notice of claim in the Queens Supreme Court and plans to file a state lawsuit for the beating and other stops he has endured.
Watch as Samson Styles offers his commentary on the NYPD.
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(Photo: Bilgin Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
