Over several years, police brutality cases in Bayonne led to an officer’s arrest, a guilty plea and settlements paid by the city. This page brings together the firm’s coverage of those cases, oldest first.
2015: An officer is arrested after a beating during an arrest
Bayonne police officer Dominick Lillo, 44, was arrested for inappropriate force during an arrest. He was suspended without pay from the Bayonne police force and accused of excessive force and falsifying reports.
According to Maura Walsh, Brandon Walsh’s sister, Officer Lillo and his counterparts first sprayed mace on everyone, even her two children. Then, while Brandon was in cuffs, Officer Lillo beat him in the face with a flashlight.
Records show this was not the first time allegations like these had been made against Lillo. The city of Bayonne paid $100,000 to settle another claim in 2007, in which two men said they were beaten by Lillo and four others.
The Bayonne Police Department conducted an internal affairs investigation and said it was cooperating with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. The excessive force charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; falsifying records carries a maximum of 20 years.
2015: A Bayonne officer pleads guilty
In September 2015 a Bayonne police officer pleaded guilty to beating a man. Attorney Joel Silberman said: “Today’s guilty plea sends an unmistakably clear message that our federal and state authorities have zero tolerance for police brutality.” Read the Jersey Journal report.
2016: Two lawsuits settled for $335,000
Two separate police brutality lawsuits filed against the Bayonne Police Department and city police officers were settled for a total of $335,000, according to a settlement agreement released in January 2016.
In one of the cases, Jason Rios sued Bayonne police over an incident on Aug. 29, 2010, in which he said police pepper-sprayed him, knocked him out cold, and arrested him for no reason. A police report said Rios acted in a “threatening manner.” Read the Jersey Journal report.
2018: The Walsh family’s settlement
At least $1.5 million was paid to settle the police brutality lawsuit brought by the family that was beaten and pepper-sprayed by Bayonne police, according to a confidential deal released in March 2018 after a year-long court battle by The Jersey Journal. The family of Brandon Walsh sued the city of Bayonne and the police department in November 2014, 11 months after Walsh was beaten with a flashlight during an arrest at his home. Read the Jersey Journal report.
More on police misconduct cases in the city: Civil rights lawyer in Bayonne and excessive force claims.
