New York Police Department officer Salvatore Provenzano has reportedly been ruled not guilty regarding a 2021 case wherein he punched an erratic customer in an Apple store.
The Police Benevolent Association made the announcement. In regards to the incident, Fox News said that Provenzano was found not guilty of assault for a single punch he made to defend himself against a repeat criminal causing chaos in an Upper West Side Apple Store.
(Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 04: A woman holding a smartphone walks past the Apple Store on January 04, 2019, in Berlin, Germany. Apple has temporarily halted sales of its iPhone 7 and 8 models in Germany following a court case launched by Qualcomm over a possible patent infringement.
As per the New York Post, on the other hand, the subject attempted to break away from Provenzano during a struggle, and Provenzano allegedly punched him in the bodycam confrontation captured on tape.
That day, a complaint was also filed against the individual, although the case has already been closed.
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office indicted Provenzano in July 2023; he was placed on administrative leave without pay, even though there was no physical harm to the suspect and two security guards who were eyewitnesses were never asked to appear before the grand jury.
It is stated that other cops who saw the altercation attempted to step in and talk sense into the man's head, but to no avail.
A Case Against a 'Good' Cop
PBA President Patrick Hendry stated that even though Provenzano had been acquitted, the case never belonged in court because it did not support the prosecution's story.
According to the President, the issue was never about justice or fairness-rather, it was about throwing off a dedicated police officer; he adds that both the guy Provenzano was accused of assaulting and another man who had thrown himself on the floor, threatened security, and refused to leave the store for more than half an hour had been barred from the Apple Store.
If the prosecution had agreed to drop the case to second-degree harassment, the officer would not have gone to jail and would not have had a criminal record.
However, Provenzano, a 17-year police veteran, turned down the offer, entered a not-guilty plea, and decided to take his chances in a judge's trial.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office claims that Acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley informed the court that the prosecution was correct in filing the case despite the acquittal.
In a statement, DA Alvin Bragg expressed his gratitude to Judge Wiley for his thorough and deliberate assessment of the case and to the prosecutors for their diligent work.
Uber Murder Case
On another font of criminal news, Uber has just entered a recent case concerning the driver Loletha Hall's murder case. After being directed to an Ohio residence, where 81-year-old Wiliam J. Brock fatally shot her because he believed she was part of an internet scam, the Uber driver perished.
An Uber official called the incident "a horrific tragedy," and the account has since been disabled.
Brock was accused of murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault about Hall's passing. In the two felony murder counts, Brock's underlying crime was either kidnapping or attempting to commit felonious assault, which is how he killed Hall.
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