NYPD Officer Charged For Lying About Racially-Motivated Arrest

An NYPD officer has been arrested for civil rights violations in part because he allegedly lied about the arrest of an unarmed man and later used using racially charged language about that arrest.

Officer Michael Daragjati allegedly lied when he wrote a police report claiming an African-American man had shoved and kicked him during a stop-and-frisk on Staten Island on April 15.   The FBI said the unarmed man verbally complained about the stop but never shoved Daragjati. 

During a call to a supervisor, Daragjati claimed it took four officers to subdue the man who had been wrestling with him to resist arrest, according to the criminal complaint.  In a later call to a female friend that was being recorded by investigators, Daragjati allegedly said, “I got it all done but, fried another n------.’ 

When the female friend asked what he just said, Daragjati allegedly repeated,” Another n----- fried, no big deal."  

These conversations where captured on a wire tap that a court approved after numerous allegations against Daragjati came to light. Once the wire was up, conversations about the racially charged arrest and snow plow incident were recorded.

Prosecutors said Daragjati used racial epithets in about 12 other recordings.   As for the man who was arrested, he was not identified.  He was held for two nights at the 120th Precinct before agreeing to plead guilty to a disorderly conduct charge.  Prosecutors said he copped the plea in order to avoid going to Riker’s on the more serious resisting arrest charge.

Prosecutors also said officer Daragjati abused his position to threaten a man who he believed had stolen a snow plow from his side business.  Later, eight of Daragjati’s friends would find and surround the suspected thief, punching him and threatening him with a gun unless the plow was returned, prosecutors said.  Daragjati had allegedly saved a digitial photo showing the injuries the man suffered.

“He’ll walk from the f------ district attorney, but you ain’t gonna be able to walk on your own, haha, you’re gonna walk with a walker,” Dajragjati allegedly boasted.

Daragjati is expected to be arraigned in Brooklyn federal court Monday afternoon.

“The power to arrest - to deprive a citizen of liberty - must be used fairly, responsibly and without bias,” said US Attorney Loretta Lynch.  “Motivated by base racial animus, the defendant allegedly abused this power and responsibility. Our system of justice depends on the public’s confidence that those who enforce the law also obey the law.” 

Attempts to contact Daragjati’s attorney for comment have so far been unsuccessful.