Bellevue Officers Are Indicted for Alleged 2022 Assault of Hospital Patient

Three NYC Health + Hospitals police officers were indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on Dec. 18, after they reportedly brutalized an unidentified 33 year-old Bellevue patient in January 2022. The incident was then covered up by one of the officers, the D.A. charged.

Raymond Green, Patrick James, and Shahed Khan–aged 55, 54, and 38–were all hit with official misconduct charges. Green received an assault charge, with James being hit with multiple charges of falsifying business records.

All three officers were instructed to escort the middle-aged man out of Bellevue, after he had been cleared by medical staff. He was found to be inebriated, the D.A. said, which caused him to slump up against a pillar outside the entrance. James and Khan attempted to rouse the man, at which point he kicked the two officers and proceeded to lie back down.

Prosecutors then describe a dramatically escalating sequence of events, with James allegedly deciding to grab the man and drag him off Bellevue property while he was still on the ground.

At some point during the dragging, prosecutors allege that Green reportedly stepped on the man, who responded by kicking him with a free leg. Green then allegedly proceeded to stomp on the man, with James said to be pinning the 33 year-old down at one point. Prosecutors say that Green kicked and slammed the man on the pavement multiple times, before dragging him even further.

Numerous witnesses confronted the officers during the course of the beating, which reportedly did not prevent the trio from leaving the now-unconscious man on a sidewalk. After he managed to wake back up around 15 minutes later, he attempted to make his way back into the hospital. The very same officers reportedly blocked him from doing so.

James, when asked by a supervisor about the incident, reportedly denied that any assault had occurred. Later, prosecutors allege that James failed to note any altercation happening while filling out paperwork.

“A man who went into Bellevue Hospital was allegedly assaulted and left on the street. Furthermore, some of the defendants allegedly attempted to deny and conceal the use of force to evade accountability,” Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg said of the indictment.

“All New Yorkers must be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their needs, especially by the people who are supposed to protect and keep them safe,” he added.

Alexandra Bonacarti, a defense lawyer representing James, told Straus News that she had “no comment” on her client’s side of the story.

The NYC Health + Hospitals Corporation, Bellevue’s parent company, could not be reached for comment as of press time.