A Long Island police officer is
free on bail after pleading not guilty on Tuesday to beating a man during a
routine traffic stop in April.
Nassau County Officer Vincent
LoGiudice, 34, faces two counts of assault in the second degree and assault in
the third degree.
LoGiudice pulled over Kyle
Howell, 20, in Westbury due to a cracked windshield. In security video taken from outside a store,
LoGiudice and his partner, Officer Basil Gomez, are seen striking a man
believed to be Howell repeatedly with such force that the vehicle shakes.
Howell was charged with
assaulting LoGiudice and his partner, Officer Basil Gomez, tampering with
physical evidence, resisting arrest and criminal possession of a controlled
substance. Police said Howell tried to swallow a bag of marijuana.
A judge dismissed the criminal
charges against Howell in May based on a recommendation from the district
attorney’s office.
"You cannot judge this
case by that video because that video does not show what was going on inside
that car," said defense attorney William Petrillo.
Attorneys for Howell say they
have filed notice they intend to sue the county police department over the
alleged assault.