Defendant allegedly repeatedly kicked and punched a man as he was being taken into custody following a high-speed police pursuit of a stolen car
On June 17, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today that a Yonkers Police Department sergeant was indicted on assault charges for repeatedly kicking and punching a suspect during an arrest in March.
DA Rocah said: “Police officers are sworn to protect us and uphold the law. The Yonkers Police Department was proactive in identifying one of their officers as acting outside their training policies and promptly referred this matter to my Office. The facts learned during the course of our investigation were presented to a Grand Jury who returned an indictment charging the defendant with offenses related to his alleged use of excessive force.”
The defendant, identified as Sgt. Hector Cartagena, 55, was indicted by a Westchester County Grand Jury for Assault in the Second Degree and Attempted Assault in the Second Degree, felonies, and Assault in the Third Degree, a misdemeanor.
The defendant was arrested today by the DA’s Office Criminal Investigator’s Squad and arraigned before New York State Supreme Court Justice James McCarty in Westchester County Court. His next court date is July 31.
At approximately 9:44 p.m. on March 14, while a suspect was being placed into custody, the defendant allegedly kicked the suspect four times and punched him 10 times in the face, causing him to sustain a fractured orbital bone.
Prior to the incident, the suspect allegedly led police on a high-speed chase following reports he had stolen a vehicle. The pursuit ended in a crash on Warburton and Glenwood Avenues in Yonkers. The suspect is being prosecuted by the DA’s Office on grand larceny, assault and reckless endangerment charges.
According to the Yonkers Police Department, their Internal Affairs Division initiated a preliminary investigation at the scene and determined that the defendant utilized force in a manner not consistent with department policies. Yonkers police placed the defendant on restrictive duty and referred the matter to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by the Public Integrity and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau of the Trials and Investigations Division.
The charges against the defendant are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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