Civil Rights Violations

Possible Case in Point

It has been reported today that a “Brooklyn man who fell ill while in police custody Thursday died in his holding  cell after waiting four hours for an ambulance.”

Angel Cordero, 39, was arrested Thursday at roughly 4 a.m. after allegedly  attacking a woman with a knife on Myrtle Ave. near Carlton Ave. in Fort  Greene.

He was checked out at Woodhull Hospital for an unknown medical condition and  then brought to the 88th Precinct station house, cops said.

Cordero was held overnight that Thursday after refusing to give police his  name, officials said.

His distraught family told The News police informed them of Cordero’s death  but didn’t reveal he was in lockup at the time.

‘When the police department came to notify us, all they said was that he had  a seizure — they didn’t say he was in police custody,’ said Donovan Mendoza, a  nephew.

Mendoza, 24, was among the family members who went with cops to the morgue  to identify the body.

Since then, the family hasn’t heard from police, Mendoza said.

‘Nobody from the NYPD has yet to reach out (to) us,’ the nephew said.

According to 911 logs obtained by The News, Cordero began vomiting around 1  a.m. on Friday, prompting police in the 88th Precinct to call for an  ambulance.

The ambulance request was noted at 1:38 a.m., but the EMS operator didn’t  have a unit available and the call was held, according to the documents.

Angel Cordero began vomiting around 1  a.m. on Friday, prompting police to call for an ambulance. One ultimately  arrived after 5 a.m., but by then his condition had worsened.

At 2 a.m., cops messaged EMS again.

‘ETA for EMS plz,’ they asked.

Forty-seven seconds later, the EMS dispatcher responded, ‘1st  available.’

Cordero’s call wasn’t coded as urgent, so the operator wasn’t able to assign  a paramedic team, sources said.

Those units are reserved for the highest priorities, such as heart attacks  or life-threatening injuries.

At 3:23 a.m., two hours after the original call, the 88th Precinct asked  again if EMS had come for Cordero.

‘Did EMS remove patient,’ asked an NYPD officer.

EMS did not remove as of yet,’ the 911 operator typed back. Minutes later,  Cordero’s condition worsened. He started having seizures, cops said.

Police alerted EMS that Cordero’s case was now a medical emergency.

’88 base (states) still waiting .. prisoner with seizures. ETA?’ came another  message.

But it wasn’t until 5:18 a.m. that two EMTs were sent to the 88th Precinct,  records show.

An EMS officer also authorized the deployment of a paramedic team a few  minutes later, according to the log.

Units were on scene by 5:27 a.m., but it was too late.

Cordero’s case was entered as an 83-D for deceased at 6:16 a.m., records  show.

The medical examiner has yet to give an official cause of death for  Cordero.

The FDNY did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters Wednesday that Cordero’s  death was the subject of a police probe.

‘Any death in police custody is intensively investigated by internal affairs.  That’s what’s going on now,’ he said.

An autopsy held last week was inconclusive, and further testing was  required.

Cordero was arrested for allegedly attacking a 48-year-old woman with a  knife. The woman was treated and released with only minor wounds, police  said.

Cops confirmed Cordero died just before 5:30 a.m. in the precinct’s holding  area.

Neighbors around the Walt Whitman Houses, where Cordero lived, said he had a  history of medical problems.

‘He was having seizures all the time,’ said one friend of the family’s, who  asked to remain anonymous.

What are your Civil Rights?

While in the case example above, there has been no determination at this point as to whether any one was a fault for this tragic incident.  However, in such a case, various claims can be made attempting to prove wither the police and/or EMS were at fault for delay in treatment.

In addition to claims for negligence and carelessness , the Bill of Right, Federal Law, and State Law all provide protection from the gross negligence of governmental bodies, such as police departments, for violation of civil rights and police abuse or brutality. 

If you believe you or your loved one’s civil rights were violated, it is critical to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney and civil rights lawyer as soon as possible to protect your interests and assert your claim.