A viral video showing undercover officers from the New York Police Department violently arresting a man inside a Brooklyn liquor store has sparked outrage and prompted an internal investigation after authorities admitted the officers targeted the wrong individual.
The incident occurred Tuesday, April 14, inside a shop in Boerum Hill. Footage obtained by multiple outlets, including CBS News and The New York Times, shows two plainclothes officers repeatedly punching and kicking a man, slamming him into shelves of glass bottles, and dragging him across the floor before placing him in handcuffs.
Authorities later confirmed the man — identified as Timothy Brown — was not the suspect officers were seeking. Investigators said the officers had been searching for a different individual allegedly involved in a drug sale, described as wearing a white shirt and green shorts.
Brown was initially charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. Those charges were dropped after officials determined he had been misidentified.
“I just thank God that I’m alive,” Brown told CBS News in an interview, appearing with a cane and a visible black eye. He said officers approached him, declared he was under arrest, and instructed him not to resist — directions he says he followed.
“I wasn’t resisting,” Brown said, calling for accountability. “I want justice. I pray that none of this happens to anyone else.”
Police leadership acknowledged the severity of the incident. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the footage as “deeply disturbing” and confirmed the officers involved have been placed on modified duty, with their firearms and badges removed pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also condemned the incident, calling the level of force used “extremely disturbing and unacceptable” in a public statement. He emphasized that officers “should never treat a person this way.”
The case is likely to intensify scrutiny over NYPD use-of-force practices and accountability measures, particularly involving undercover operations. Civil rights advocates have long argued that mistaken-identity arrests can escalate quickly when officers rely on limited or vague suspect descriptions.
For Brown, the focus remains personal. As investigations continue, he says he is determined to pursue justice — and ensure the incident does not fade without consequence.
