Yahnick Martin (pictured) got sweet reparation from the New York City Police Department after they mistakenly slapped him with cuffs, hauled him off to jail, and had him leave his gift-filled van unattended and running on a Brooklyn street back in 2011. Now the city Law Department is reportedly forking over $50,000 to settle a federal lawsuit he filed against “New York’s finest” because the van and all of its gifts were stolen, ruining his family’s Christmas, according to the New York Daily News.
On December 23, 2011, Martin was reportedly sitting in a rented van waiting for his wife, who had dropped off a Christmas present to a friend. Martin, a real estate agent and father of three, was smoking a cigar in his van when Officer Roman Goris and a few colleagues pulled up to his vehicle. The “Men in Blue” claimed they smelled marijuana wafting in the air.
Goris asked Martin to exit the vehicle and patted him down which was a justifiable action according to court records. The officer then went a step further and removed a lighter and Martin’s wallet from his person which a judge found to be unjustifiable.
When Martin spoke his mind about the harassment he was placed in cuffs.
As the officers hauled Martin away, he begged them to please allow him to secure his van which was filled with his children’s car seats, clothing, cell phones, his wife’s purse and Christmas gifts.
Martin’s pleas fell on deaf ears.
“That’s too bad. You should have thought of that before being a smartass,” a policeman responded to Martin’s request, according to the court records, states the New York Daily News.
When the van was eventually found, it was stripped and all of its contents were stolen.
Martin was given disorderly conduct summonses which were eventually dismissed.
Meanwhile Goris was mandated by the courts to contribute $500 toward Martin’s settlement and docked eight days pay for abusing his power and conducting an unwarranted stop-and-frisk move.
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