Long Island Man Suing Suffolk County, Police Department For $2 Million For False Arrest
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Thomas Demint says he lives in fear of cops even after all charges against him were dropped last week.
The 21-year-old Long Island college student is now suing Suffolk County and its police force for $2 million for false arrest, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.
Demint said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time in May 2014. While at the Center Moriches home of a friend, he witnessed a confrontation with Suffolk County police officers and pulled out his cellphone to record video.
The volatile encounter began when Suffolk police were called to the home by a mother reporting her son was trying to commit suicide.
Demint's eight-minute video shows two sons cursing, appearing to resist arrest and their mother also tangling with police.
Then, Demint said, police Tasered the mother by mistake. Later, it appears officers pull down one of the sons, who was in handcuffs. The 80-pound mother then raises her arm and is slammed to the ground by an officer.
After he stopped recording, Demint claims police handcuffed and arrested him.
"I was tackled to the ground. They told me to stop resisting, and I was like, 'I'm not resisting, I'm not resisting,'" he told CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff in August. "The other police officer came over and took my phone, tried to delete the last video."
Since his arrest, Demint claims he's been the victim of petty traffic stops.
"Even though my charges were dropped, I still feel that I have someone watching me and other police are watching me," he said Monday. "Every time I have a cop behind me, I panic, I get scared.
"I still believe there's good officers out there. But in the same sense, I'm scared of all of them."
Suffolk County police released a statement in August saying Demint interfered with officers at the scene and shouted obscenities toward cops and paramedics.
"Mr. Demint's actions diverted officers' attention away from the suicidal man and Mr. Demint had to be physically escorted away from the scene," the statement said.
