Cop pleads guilty to beating a handcuffed suspect
Warning: the video below contains strong language
Felix Rivera of Lynn pleaded guilty today to assault and battery and lying about the circumstaces of an arrest.
A Chelsea police officer confessed to assaulting a handcuffed man in custody and lying about his arrest.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, Felix Rivera Jr. was one of several officers called to a scene in September 2014 for a report of a man with a gun. A man was found to be intoxicated and placed in protective custody. As he was being escorted away, Rivera punched him four times in the face, shouting “are you [expletive] done,’’ knocking him to the ground.
The victim sustained a cut to the lip, an abrasion to the forehead, and a malalignment of the jaw; the victim’s attorney said in court that he still suffers from blurry vision as a result of the assault, according to the DA’s office.
“This wasn’t police work,’’ said Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. “It was criminal conduct. It was clear throughout our investigation that [Chelsea Police] Chief Kyes and his team shared that perspective and took this case extremely seriously. There’s no room in law enforcement for an officer who would beat a handcuffed suspect or lie in a report.’’
Rivera pleaded guilty to assault and battery and filing a false report as a public employee, according to the press release. The District Attorney’s office also sought a felony conviction for causing injury while violating the victim’s civil rights, but Judge Peter Krupp continued the charge without a finding.
Rivera was released on probation on the condition that if he stays away from the victim, and undergoes anger management treatment and a mental health evaluation, the court will dismiss the felony charge in two years.
Rivera’s attorney, Keith Nicholson, did not immediately return request for comment.
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