A Queens man has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York and the New York City Police Department, alleging that he was arrested without probable cause.
The complaint filed by plaintiff Robert Drummond names police officers Willie Thompson and Thomas R. Knight as defendants and centers on an incident on May 1, 2025. According to the complaint, Drummond was at home in Queens with his girlfriend when a heated discussion occurred. During the argument, she allegedly consumed Clorox bleach in his presence. Concerned for her safety, Drummond called 911 to report the incident and request emergency assistance. Upon arrival, however, officers Thompson and Knight allegedly disregarded Drummond’s account and evidence—including photographs of his girlfriend washing her mouth after ingesting the bleach—and arrested him for falsely reporting an incident.
Drummond was charged under Penal Law 240.50-3A for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor that carries a potential penalty of up to one year in jail. Despite submitting evidence to support his claims, Drummond contends that officers proceeded with the arrest and ignored the circumstances. He was held for approximately 34 hours before being released.
On October 7, 2024, all charges against Drummond were dismissed. However, he alleges that the experience caused significant emotional distress and attributes this to the negligent conduct of the arresting officers. The complaint includes claims of false arrest under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among others. Drummond is seeking compensatory damages for mental anguish and emotional suffering, as well as punitive damages.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Joshua Dayan of Dayan Law L.L.P. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under Case ID 1:25-cv-03571.