A former NYPD officer was convicted of assault Thursday after he was caught on camera repeatedly punching a mentally ill man during an on-duty confrontation on a Greenwich Village sidewalk.
Juan Perez, 43, was found guilty of the misdemeanor charge following a two-day bench trial before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley. He could face a year in jail when he’s sentenced Sept. 10.
“Today a judge found former NYPD Officer Perez guilty of assault for punching an individual in the face six times,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Thursday. “Members of law enforcement have important positions of trust in our city, and holding accountable those who violate that trust is essential for lasting public safety.”
Perez delivered the beatdown after he was was called to respond to reports of a man acting erratically and throwing water at pedestrians at Bleecker and Sullivan Sts. on Nov. 10, 2021.
The officer came across the man, Borim Husenaj, on MacDougal St. He was holding a large liquor bottle above his head and explained that two men there had been harassing him, and Perez ordered him to sit down and took the bottle from him, prosecutors said.
Husenaj can be seen on bodycam footage rambling about God and acing erratically. At one point, he stands up and refuses to sit down again until Perez pushes him back onto a chair on the sidewalk.
When Husenaj gets back up, Perez orders him to turn around and stand against a storefront, and after a brief struggle, Perez can be seen bringing Husenaj to the ground. Another officer, Stephen Brier, holds Husenaj’s arm back while Perez punches him in the face six times — breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious — according to prosecutors.
Husenaj died by suicide in March 2022. His family has filed a lawsuit against Perez and the city, stating that the psychological trauma from the beating contributed to him taking his own life.
As Husenaj was ranting, Perez called for an ambulance, believing the man to be drunk.
“Later testing would show that Mr. Husenaj was indeed intoxicated, but all objective evidence makes clear that he was also in the throes of a serious psychiatric crisis,” court documents stated.
Perez, a 20-year police veteran, retired last year with his pension. The NYPD wouldn’t comment on the verdict, except to confirm he had retired.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry blasted the verdict, saying it would “send a chilling message to every police officer.
“These prosecutors and the court are effectively telling police officers we can’t do our job,” he added.
Hendry said the officers were responding to a complaint from the community that Husenaj was intoxicated and out of control.
“When our police officer arrived, he attempted to deescalate the situation. That’s when this individual attacked him, threw him to the ground and put his hand around our police officer’s neck,” Hendry said.
Footage of the incident shows Husenaj never gets the upper hand against the officer, though a union official pointed out that social media video showed him sweeping the officer’s leg in an attempt to drop him to the ground and placing a hand on his neck.
Perez’s lawyer, Stu London, said he was “disappointed” by the verdict.
“He was attacked by the individual he was attempting to help. All he tried to do was stop that threat using his hands, and I think the verdict sends a chilling effect to other officers who do their jobs,” the attorney said.