Lawsuit claims NYPD cops smashed autistic teen’s head into sidewalk

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Troy Canales was standing outside his home in The Bronx in November 2014 when two cops asked him what he was doing
Federal lawsuit filed on behalf of the 18-year-old claims officers threw him to the ground, smashed his head against concrete and punched him
Canales' mother told cops her son was autistic but they arrested him anyway
Canales was released an hour later without any charges after a police captain apologized to his mother saying 'things like this happen'
Alyson Valentine believes her son's difficulty making eye contact with strangers may have raised alarm with cops
One of the arresting officers said he 'feared for his life' while talking to the 17-year-old

Published: 15:09 EST, 8 July 2015 | Updated: 17:20 EST, 8 July 2015

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A family have filed a federal lawsuit accusing New York City police officers of smashing an autistic teen's head into the sidewalk and punching him in the face without any provocation.

In November 2014, Troy Canales, then 17, was leaning against a parked car outside his home in The Bronx when two NYPD officers pulled up in a squad car and demanded to know what he was doing.

According to a lawsuit filed at Manhattan Federal Court, the teen was ‘extremely scared' but replied that he was 'chilling' and not doing anything.

Troy Canales (left and right) was standing outside his home in The Bronx in November 2014 when two police officers pulled up in a squad car and asked him what he was doing. The teen said he was 'chilling'

Assault: According to a federal lawsuit, the cops grabbed the autistic 17-year-old, threw him to the ground and smashed his head against the sidewalk

Court documents filed by an attorney on behalf of Canales state that the two officers then got out of the car, grabbed the boy's arms and threw him to the ground, slamming his head against the pavement.

‘[The officers] kneed plaintiff in the back and punched him in the face as he screamed to his family for help,' reads the suit cited by the New York Post.

Canales' mother, Alyson Aulet-Valentine, and his older brother rushed out of their home on Bainbridge Avenue and begged the cops to let Troy go, telling them that he was suffering from autism.

But their pleas fell on deaf ears as the cops handcuffed the 17-year-old man and hauled him off to the 52nd Precinct.

He was released an hour later without any charges after Mrs Valentine spoke to the precinct's commanding officer.

Detained: Alyson Valentine, Troy's mother (left), pleaded with the officers to let him go but they ignored her and led him away in handcuffs

Freed without explanation: Valentine was released from the 52nd Precicnt an hour later without any charges

According to the court papers, the NYPD provided no explanation as to why Troy Canales was beaten up and detained beyond claiming that one of the arresting officers 'feared for his life' while talking to the 17-year-old on the evening of November 12, 2014.

Canales' mother said her son is verbal but has difficulty making eye contact with strangers.

She speculated that Troy may have raised the officers' suspicions because he would not look them in the eye.

‘When he goes outside he thinks he’s normal but he’s not really normal, so he does things that people don’t really understand,’ she told the news site DNAInfo.com.

Traumatized: The boy, now aged 18, required therapy to get over the trauma and overcome his fear of being outside

Valentine, a senior bridge engineer, said that a police captain apologized to her but said that 'things like this happen.'

In the wake of the beating, Valentine said, her son has become reclusive and it took professional psychological help to coax him out of the house.

The federal lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. It also calls on the NYPD to provide officers with better training in dealing with people suffering from developmental disabilities, including autism.