Video may shed light on West End fracas

An attorney representing one of four men arrested by police who broke up a rowdy group of bar patrons in the West End last month said that a video of the fracas and a medical report both indicate that his client’s injuries — a bruised face and a black eye, among others — were sustained during the arrest.

Chris Graziano, a lawyer for Long Beach resident Eduardo Natal, 26, claims that a five-minute-long video — which was not made available to the Herald — sheds new light on a “chaotic” incident at about 4 a.m. on Jan. 22 in which four men were arrested as police responded to complaints about a large group of unruly revelers at New Hampshire and West Beech streets.

Natal, along with Marlon Jones Guma, 24, of Freeport; James Moriarty Jr., 26, of Long Beach; and Scott Fowler, 23, of Stony Brook, pleaded not guilty in Long Beach City Court to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and other minor violations. They were released on their own recognizance.

Natal was treated at Long Beach Medical Center and South Nassau Communities Hospital after the arrest, Graziano said, adding that police used excessive force, and Natal is considering a civil suit against the city.

“I’ve never had a client injured like this by the Long Beach police, and I’ve been doing cases out there for the last seven years,” Graziano said. “The video is going to come out eventually, and I intend to use it at trial.”

Deputy Inspector Bruce Meyer of the Long Beach Police Department said he could not comment on specific allegations. “I am not in the habit of commenting on hearsay,” Meyer said. “I would like Mr. Graziano, or anyone else who has video of this incident, to come forward so that I may view it. After viewing it, if there is any wrongdoing, I can assure you I will take appropriate action.”

City Manager Charles Theofan said on Tuesday that he did receive an excessive force complaint from one of the arrested men, though he did not name him. “It’s my intention to personally and thoroughly investigate that claim,” Theofan said, “and I would very much love to see any video that someone may have.”