Two New York residents have filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, alleging excessive force by NYPD police officers during an incident at Wingate Park in Brooklyn.
According to the lawsuit, plaintiffs Romel Marcus and Sandrew Gauvy were attending a peaceful youth basketball tournament when plainclothes NYPD officers arrived and began searching attendees without cause. Marcus, who is paraplegic and uses a wheelchair, was allegedly shoved to the ground by an officer after he began recording the scene. He sustained injuries to his hand and shoulder and received no assistance until bystanders intervened. Gauvy claims he was punched, tased multiple times, rendered unconscious, and falsely arrested while trying to document the incident on his phone. The plaintiffs assert that they were engaged in lawful activity and that their constitutional rights were violated.
The lawsuit states that much of the altercation was recorded on video by the plaintiffs and other witnesses, contradicting the NYPD’s version of events. The complaint alleges excessive force, false arrest, failure to intervene, cruel and unusual punishment, retaliation for protected conduct (filming police), denial of due process, and violations of equal protection under federal law. It also includes state law claims of assault, battery, and other related offenses.
Marcus and Gauvy are seeking compensatory damages for physical injuries and emotional distress, as well as punitive damages against the individual officers. They also request declaratory relief affirming their rights were violated and seek injunctive relief requiring policy reforms within the NYPD to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Ian M. Bryson of Derek Smith Law Group PLLC. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under Case No. 1:25-cv-03313.