Ex-Cop Convicted Of Beating Mentally Ill Teen In Chelsea, DA Says

CHELSEA, NY — A former cop was convicted for beating up a teen in Chelsea, and then lying about it in official documents, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced.

Elijah Saladeen, 49, was convicted for beating up a 19-year-old boy during a 2017 arrest inside an apartment building on West 17th Street, District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Thursday.

"This 19-year veteran of the NYPD assaulted a young man, and then lied about it," Vance said.

On Feb. 24, 2017, Jeremy Santiago, now 22, had been sleeping on the roof of a New York City Housing Authority building on West 17th Street, the New York Daily News reported.

Santiago, who has been living in a psychiatric facility, was sleeping there after his brother kicked him out, he testified, according to the News.

When he was woken up by cops for alleged trespassing, he broke down due to a psychiatric episode and began kicking and trying bite Saladeen, the newspaper reported.

Prosecutors said the former NYPD officer Saladeen punched the man in the face. While waiting for an ambulance, drug him to the rear of the building and punched him again in the ribs and abdomen.

Saladeen lied about it to higher-ups after the incident and the information was incorporated into NYPD reports, a criminal complaint and other official documents, prosecutors said.

"His criminal misconduct caused extensive injuries to his victim and damage to all in law enforcement who are working to strengthen our relationships with the communities we are sworn to protect," Vance added.

Saladeen was convicted of three counts of filing false documents, one count of assault and one count of attempted assault, Vance's office said.

Saladeen's lawyer, Craig Hayes, plans to appeal the decision.

"We respectfully disagree with the Judge's decision," Hayes said in an email, though acknowledged it was a fair trial.

A video of the beating had no audio, making it unclear when another officer was warning Saladeen of when he was about to be bitten during the incident, Hayes criticized.

"As to the counts involving allegations of false paperwork, this decision sets a dangerous precedent whereby an officer can be convicted of a felony for one simple mistake on a form, or for a document that was prepared by another party and never presented to him for review," Hayes said.