A 32-year-old man died in police custody Friday morning while waiting to be arraigned in court in Brooklyn after being arrested for shoplifting three days earlier, according to a joint statement from two public defenders organizations.
“Earlier today, we were notified that a person, who had been arrested on charges of a low-level crime, passed away in NYPD custody at Kings County Criminal Court,” the statement by The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services read. “This person, who should have been granted a desk appearance and released based on the offense, languished in pain in custody for three days and was deprived of medical care despite repeated pleas from defense lawyers and other personnel to secure them needed care. This level of indifference is unconscionable.”
The man was arrested March 18 after allegedly trying to shoplift about $213 worth of power tools and other items from Home Depot, according to the criminal complaint against him obtained by the Daily News. He was charged with petit larceny, possession of stolen property and drug possession, according to the complaint.
The News is not publishing the man’s name because his family has not been notified of his death yet.
Under New York City law, the man should have been issued a desk-appearance ticket and released, a lawsuit filed on his behalf by The Legal Aid Society states. The same law requires people to be arraigned within 24 hours of their arrest, unless there is a reasonable explanation for the delay, according to the lawsuit, which calls for an investigation into the death.
Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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