Motorist alleges Suffolk police officer beat him after traffic stop in assault captured on dashcam video

A Long Island motorist who said he was assaulted by Suffolk police during an April 2 traffic stop has filed papers notifying the department that he will file a federal lawsuit alleging officers violated his civil rights.

Officer Robert Rufrano allegedly punched Craig Manning, 49, more than a half dozen times in the head and face after Manning said he asked to speak to a police supervisor during the traffic stop in Medford.

"The supervisor never came," said Manning’s lawyer, Hempstead civil rights attorney Frederick K. Brewington. "The beating did."

The encounter was recorded by a dashcam installed in Manning’s Fiat 500. Brewington shared the video with the media during a news conference in Hempstead on Tuesday afternoon. Officers who arrived at the scene later also allegedly assaulted Manning, who suffered a concussion, a laceration on his forehead, emotional distress and other injuries, the attorney said.

"This whole ordeal has been a horror show for my family and I," Manning said. "I am haunted by the rage and intent to harm me I saw in those officers’ eyes."

Manning, a Black resident of Suffolk County, was charged with resisting arrest and traffic violations after the alleged assault, but the charges were dismissed Monday when Suffolk District  Judge John B. Zollo issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal motion. That means the charges will be dismissed if Manning avoids further legal issues until June 22.

"I want the officers who beat me to be arrested," Manning said, his voice crackling with emotion. "Charged, and fired. I never want this to happen to anyone else. I never want anyone to be subjected to the abuse and terror that I felt that day."

Brewington said he referred the case to the Suffolk County Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, which requested an interview with Manning. Brewington said he expects Manning will meet with an investigator soon, now that the criminal charges have been dropped.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman declined to comment on the notice of claim the department received from Brewington’s office on Tuesday, saying the department could not discuss pending litigation.

In a statement,  Louis Civello, Suffolk County PBA President, said, "Mr. Manning was stopped for a traffic infraction but decided he was above the law. He refused to roll down his window, provide his license, ignored repeated lawful commands, and then violently resisted when officers attempted to place him under arrest. Mr. Manning created this situation entirely. He escalated the force necessary to effect his arrest by actively resisting and fighting against the officers."

In an April 2 police report, Rufrano said Manning was "flailing" his arms to avoid being handcuffed. In the video shared with Newsday and other outlets, Manning does not appear for the most part to be moving his arms aggressively, but pulling them back in a defensive manner to avoid being cuffed.

Rufrano’s report also said he "struck the subject in the head with a closed fist" to handcuff Manning, but it does not mention the flurry of punches he landed on Manning’s head and face.

Brewington called the alleged assault the latest chapter in the Suffolk County Police Department’s history of poor treatment of Blacks and other people of color. "In this situation, we believe that there is racial bias, and that racial bias is endemic in the system," he said.

Manning told reporters he installed a dashboard camera in his Fiat because of past negative experiences with police in Suffolk County.

The video appears to show Rufrano at one point attempting to pull Manning — who is 6-66-foot-6 — out of the driver’s seat of the Fiat, across the center console and toward the passenger side of the car. At the same time, Rufrano’s partner, Officer Samantha Skippon, tried to pull Manning out of the driver’s door. That indicates poor training, Brewington said — one of the officers’ guns could have been discharged or stolen during the tussle.

The video appears to show Manning driving south on North Ocean Avenue in Medford shortly before noon on April 2. He said he wanted to make a left onto Horseblock Road but failed to get into the turning lane. He activated his blinker and waited for the cars in the turn lane to pass, and then made the left.

Rufrano and Skippon, patrolling in an unmarked car, pulled the Fiat over and parked behind Manning’s vehicle. Manning rolled down his window to speak to the officers. In the video, Skippon initially held back as Rufrano approached the Fiat from the side.

Manning also said at the news conference that he was upset because he believed the police were "monetizing" the situation — trying to rake in money from someone who was not doing anything criminal or harmful to others.

Manning asked to speak to a supervisor and refused to hand over his license and registration, he said. He asked for the supervisor because his brother, a community liaison for Suffolk police, had instructed him to do so if he felt unsafe.

Rufrano tried to open the passenger door and ordered Manning to step out of the vehicle, he said. Manning continued to refuse to exit the vehicle, telling Rufrano and Skippon, "I’ll wait until your supervisor is here."

 Manning eventually unlocked the Fiat. Rufrano is seen in the video entering through the passenger side. He tried to handcuff Manning, and then knocked the phone from Manning’s hand, grabbed his wrist and punched him six times in the head and face.

In the video, Rufrano and Skippon yelled "stop resisting" repeatedly at Manning. Rufrano then punched him a seventh time in the head while Manning continued to ask for a supervisor. Skippon did not object to the punches. At one point during the video, Manning asked her to intervene, and she responded by telling him he started it because he failed to comply with police orders.

Three other officers arrived at the scene, and Manning said he was punched several more times after he was pulled from the car. 

"Mr. Manning was not threatening anybody. He was not threatening to leave. There was no issue of fleeing," Brewington said. "There was no weapon. This was a left turn."