For Immediate Release

Contact: Yehudah Meth

718-853-9616 (office)

973-945-4903 (cell)

HIKIND PLEASED WITH HALEVY, NEW YORK CITY SETTLEMENT

LED ELECTED OFFICIALS IN DENOUNCING BRUTAL POLICE BEATING OF CROWN HEIGHTS MAN

“I’VE ALWAYS SUPPORTED NEW YORK’S FINEST BUT THIS WAS FAR FROM THEIR FINEST MOMENT”

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is happy that New York City has settled with Ehud Halevy after Halevy was beaten in October, 2012 by several New York City police officers. The city has agreed to pay a $100,000 in a settlement with the Brooklyn man.

Ehud Halevy, 22, was sleeping in a back room of the Aliya Institute in Crown Heights on Oct. 8, 2012, when a security guard called police. A private surveillance video showed Officers Luis Vega and Yelena Bruzzese beating Halevy after he resisted arrest.

Hikind led fellow elected officials in denouncing the beating.

“When I was called by the leaders of the Crown Heights community regarding this incident, I was shocked—but my shock turned to horror and utter disbelief when I watched the surveillance video,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “This young man had permission to sleep at this youth center and when questioned he put his hands behind him as if to demonstrate that he was not threatening anyone. If not for the clear evidence of this video, we might believe that Mr. Halevy had committed the crime he was accused of, which included assaulting an officer of the law. But the video proved this was a lie.”

Halevy spent four days incarcerated after being charged with assaulting a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and harassment. This brought strong condemnation from Assemblyman Hikind and his fellow elected officials, including then NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, NYC Comptroller John Liu, NYS Senator Eric Adams, Assemblyman Karim Camara, and NYC Councilwoman Letitia James, as well as Crown Heights community leaders Barry Sugar (president of the Crown Heights Jewish Leadership Council), Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, and Rabbi Eli Cohen.

“I have long been a friend and vocal supporter of the NYPD but this was anything but New York’s Finest in their finest moment,” said Hikind, who demanded an immediate investigation into the incident at the time. “I’m glad this story is finally over and am confident that surveillance cameras, which are being added on a daily basis, will continue to help shed the light of truth on all questionable incidents.”

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