Dad, son claim excessive force by NYPD

BRONX (WABC) -- A simple shopping trip to a neighborhood deli turned into a nightmare for a 19 year old who spent the night in jail for allegedly riding his bike on the sidewalk.

Now his family is demanding action.

"I'm so hurt. They're the police. They're suppose to be there to help us," Jorge Cartagena Jr. said.

Cartagena, Jr. Is still traumatized by what he and his father call a beating at the hands of police.

The encounter was captured by surveillance camera in a Bronx deli last Friday night.

On the tape, you see the 19-year-old approach the counter as one officer prepares to leave.

The two apparently exchange words, and that's when the officer grabs the teen, flinging him against the wall and then, with the aid of his partner, to the floor to be cuffed and arrested.

"He was slamming my head against the floor over and over," Cartagena Jr. said.

Jorge says he was taken first to the 45th precinct, then to central booking and released more than 24 hours later without being charged.

He was issued a summons for biking on the sidewalk.

His father calls it excessive force.

"I'm very angry. To be honest, I want to beat the crap out of the cop," Jorge Cartagena Sr.

Jorge Sr. says seeing the bruises and scratches on his son's face and body and watching the surveillance video led him to file a complaint against the officers.

The NYPD confirms Internal Affairs is investigating the incident.

"I want them to be reprimanded for it," Cartagena Sr. said.

What his son wants is to believe in the police again.

"People are supposed to call these guys for help. And to see what they did, if it was a regular person that would have been assault," Cartagena Jr. said.

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