Aug 26, 2008 11:14 pm US/Eastern
Man Sues NYC For $25M In Alleged Cop Road Rage
Victim Says Two Female Cops Allegedly Pepper-Sprayed, Pistol-Whipped Him
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Marlon Smith is suing New York City for $25 million after he says he was severely beaten by two female officers in a fit of road rage in the Bronx.
CBS
It's being called a case of road rage, and the two accused are off-duty, female police officers, who allegedly pepper-sprayed and pistol-whipped a man. The officers have already been stripped off their shields, but now the victim plans to file a $25 million lawsuit against the city.
Marlon Smith, says the two female officers beat him senseless on Aug. 15 at 218th Street and White Plains Road in the Bronx.
"I thought I was gonna die, that they were gonna shoot me," he tells CBS 2.
The 35-year-old Smith suffered gashes to his head that took 25 surgical staples to close. The two officers, who were out of uniform and off-duty, are Michelle Anglin and Koleen Robinson.
Smith says the incident happened after he put a cup of soup into the cup holder of his car and left the door open, apparently obstructing a car trying to get by him. He says the two officers were in the car, and one of them started cursing at him when they approached.
"They said, 'Close the door, you f-----g a-----e!' I asked, 'What did you say?' 'Close the door, a-----e.' And I said, 'You are the a-----e, b---h!'"
With that, Smith says he pulled in the car door, as one of the officers sprayed him in the face with mace. He says, as he got out, and the other officer began striking him.
"Still they were charging, hitting, kicking. They never stopped. I fell on the ground," he says.
He says a bystander tried to intercede, but Smith was then struck on the head with a police baton, and with a gun.
"Someone said, 'He's bleeding,' and I looked into the chamber of a gun," he claims.
Smith's attorney is Derek Sells.
"What they did was animalistic, inhumane," says Sells.
The officers pleaded not guilty to charges that include gang assault.
"They were arrested, they've been suspended. Their weapons have been taken away from them and the investigation continues," says Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Smith says he merely hopes it doesn't happen to anyone else. The case against the two officers has gone before a Bronx grand jury for possible indictment.
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