N.Y. Attorney General Urges NYPD To Cease Making Routine Traffic Stops, Citing Violence

Allan Feliz’s 2019 death “further underscores the need for this change,” James said. 

The investigation did not find the NYPD officers involved in the incident last October to be criminally culpable, saying the use of deadly force could not be proven to be unjustified beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence. 

Police pulled Feliz over last October for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt, and he gave them his brother’s ID, which led the officers to attempt to arrest Feliz over his brother’s open warrants for misdemeanor offenses — when Feliz tried to drive away, a struggle ensued that ended with one of the officers shooting him fatally in the chest.

Among recommendations for police reform issued in July in a report on the NYPD’s handling of the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, the attorney general’s office said that armed officers should not stop drivers to enforce non-criminal infractions like speeding, broken tail lights and not wearing a seatbelt, pointing to evidence that they can spiral out of control, with higher rates of use of force against Black and Hispanic men.

The NYPD and members of Feliz’ family, who are suing the department, did not immediately comment.