The family members of Allan Feliz, who was shot and killed as he drove away from police trying to arrest him, plan to file a lawsuit against the Bronx Police Department.
The incident occurred Thursday in the Bronx. Feliz, who once served five years in prison on a burglary conviction, and his passenger were allegedly pulled over for driving without wearing seatbelts.
The police said that they recovered a substantial amount of drugs from the vehicle, including cocaine and heroin.
Feliz’s younger brother, Samy, said the guy who was in the car with his brother told him that police aimed the barrel of a gun at Feliz during the stop. “He told me that they were punching and elbowing my brother in the face as he was crying out in pain,“ Samy said.
“He didn’t understand why [Feliz] was being beaten and [Tasered]. They treated him like an animal in the street. We know about what else has been going on in the Bronx. We confirmed from multiple witnesses and the guy in the car that he was wearing a seat belt, so why was he stopped?”
Attorney Robert Vilensky said about the plaintiffs’ case, “We believe the police officer in this case should be indicted and we’re requesting that the DA investigate and convene a grand jury.” He went on to say, “We are also suing the city for millions of dollars; we will be announcing that next week… We believe there is a shoot-to-kill mentality within the police in The Bronx.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time police have been accused of killing an unarmed person. Earlier this month, the family of Stephon Clark, who was shot seven times by Sacramento police officers last year, have reached a $2.4 million settlement with the city.
Clark’s death also prompted California to change its use of force law. The state passed an emergency order in April 2018 that required police officers to keep their body cameras and audio recording equipment activated in all cases.
For information about personal injury claims, visit Cohen & Cohen, P.C.
