Atlantic City New Jersey

Factual summary as reported by victim:

Client's name: Andrea Gray

PoliceAbuse.com was contacted on Sunday, January 29, 2012 by client Andrea Gray. Ms. Gray reported that her son Trent Brewer was assaulted by four Atlantic City New Jersey police officers. Through interviews with Mrs. Gray and her husband the following factual summary has been obtained: 

Mr. Gray left his home at approximately 7 PM to visit a local convenience store. He was accompanied by his 15-year-old son Trent and two of his friends. When they arrived at the store the boys waited outside for Mr. Gray to return. As Mr. Gray exited the store he witnessed four men in a van. Without warning one of the men approached his son and began yelling, "Are you a tough guy?" Mr. Gray was alarmed and demanded to know why the man was confronting his son. Moments later two men grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. He was taken away from the other young men. According to Trent and witnesses the four men who turned out to be police officers started striking Trent in the face, head, and stomach. He was slammed to the ground and handcuffed. The officers continued beating him while he lay prone on the ground in handcuffs. According to witnesses a blow to the eye resulted in serious injury.  A witness can be heard on tape yelling, "He knocked his eye out of the socket." Trent was arrested for resisting arrest and assault on a police officer, according to police officials.

Andrea Gray tried repeatedly to obtain a police report from the Atlantic City Police Department. The police department told her that criminal suspects cannot have a copy of the police report leading to their arrest because they are criminal defendants. Policeabuse.com sent an undercover investigator to the Atlantic City Police Department to witness Ms. Gray attempting to obtain a copy of her son's police report. Our investigator confirmed that the police were uncooperative and refused to provide her with a complaint form. As of this date, Mrs. Gray does not know the names of the officers who attacked her son.

Staff Assigned:

Two Licensed Private Investigators

PCC Office Staff

Paralegals

Opinions

It is my opinion to a reasonable degree of professional certainty that the officers employed by the Atlantic City Police Department identified in this report have violated policies, and broken several laws during their interaction with Trent Brewer. The amount of force used in this incident was clearly excessive and cannot be classified as reasonable with respect to accepted standards and practices for police officers. Based on witness statements the police failed in a number of responsibilities regarding citizen contacts.  The officers were said to be working as an undercover unit. Nevertheless upon contacting citizens to make an arrest or conduct an investigation the officers were required to identify themselves as police officers. According to several witnesses, no such advisory was made. If as witnesses have stated Trent and his friends were standing outside the store waiting for his father, there was no crime in such conduct. There is no report of a loitering complaint or a trespassing complaint by anyone working at the business. The absence of a radio call or a criminal complaint raises immediate questions about the propriety and legality of this police contact. Based on the information I have reviewed the police had no reason to approach, detain, or arrest Trent Gray. With respect to the use of force the requisite rules are defined by the international Association of Chiefs of police model policy.

Atlantic City Attack