NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An NYPD detective was arraigned Thursday for beating a handcuffed suspect during a Bronx arrest earlier this month, according to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
Det. Jorge Mergeche, 39, a Bronx homicide detective joined pursuit of a fleeing vehicle on April 2, according to officials.
Police handcuffed the driver, Rafael Saavedra, after he crashed his truck on College Avenue and exited with his hands raised, prosecutors said.
While Saavedra was being handcuffed and after he was handcuffed on the ground, Mergeche allegedly slammed his head into the ground multiple times, punched him repeatedly in the face and kneed him in the back of the head.
Saavedra needed to be hospitalized for broken teeth and cuts and bruises on his face.
Mergeche faces charges for assault and official misconduct.
“The defendant allegedly used excessive force after the suspect was handcuffed and on the ground,” said DA Clark. “The incident was captured on video by a surveillance camera.”
The detective is due back in court on July 11. Police did not specify whether he is still on the force.
Mergeche, a 17-year NYPD veteran, made $183,000 last year, according to public records compiled by the police transparency project 50-a.com.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board has investigated him for 11 misconduct complaints across four incidents.
The oversight board substantiated two complaints for refusal to identify himself and an illegal vehicle search. He was exonerated for two of the charges. One complaint did not qualify as misconduct, and four could not be determined either way.
Mergeche was also named in four lawsuits, including two that resulted in settlements of $95,000 combined.
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