Dec 19, 2007 2:53 pm US/Eastern
Feds Probe Sleepy Hollow Cop For Taser Incidents
Reporting
Lou Young
SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Photos taken a week after the alleged victim show the bumps and bruises that the victim, 50-year-old Mario Gomez, suffered during a run-in with Det. Jose Quinoy in the Village of Sleepy Hollow.
CBS
A retired corrections officer is at the heart of a new federal investigation of alleged police brutality in Westchester after he claims he was victim of excessive force that include repeated use of a taser.
Photos taken a week after the alleged victim show the bumps and bruises that the victim, 50-year-old Mario Gomez, suffered during a run-in with Det. Jose Quinoy in the Village of Sleepy Hollow. The quarrel began after Gomez confronted Quinoy at the town's police station over a personal issue he had with the detective that involved a romantic relationship Quinoy had with Gomez's 22-year-old daughter.
Details of the conversation or that relationship weren't revealed, but the debate quickly escalated into an argument, which then apparently turned violent.
"He was kicked in the head when he was handcuffed. He was tased about his body. This is a man who came down here just to speak to somebody," said Francis Young, Gomez's attorney.
To make matters tougher for Quinoy, another suspect -- a 16-year-old boy -- is also now fingering him in a tasing incident from this summer.
Last August, village police used a stun gun on 16-year-old Duanny Lara Mota after he was spotted riding his bike with a friend on the sidewalk. Police suspected the bikes were stolen and told the boys the bikes would have to be taken to headquarters. Mota refused to cooperate with police, cursing at them, disobeying orders and then running away, police said.
Officers stunned the boy, then took him by ambulance to police headquarters. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. He also was ticketed for cycling on the sidewalk.
The FBI confirms they're investigating and Sleepy Hollow police chief Jimmy Warren said he was notified a month ago. He said his entire 25 member department is under scrutiny and that Quinoy is still on the job and has his full confidence.
"We have people in the department and people in the street that don't particularly care for the way Det. Quinoy performs his duties -- that he's a straight up officer, he comes in and performs his duty ever day," said Warren.
When asked for his thoughts on Quinoy as a police officer, Warren said: "I'm certainly happy with the performance."
But the FBI may see it differently. Gomez said he's grateful for that much. "Just hopeful and praying that truth and justice will prevail and will come out in the end," he said.
Sources say the FBI investigation is open-ended and is directed toward a possible violation of suspects' civil rights.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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