Occupy Wall Street Protesters Sue NYPD Over Citibank Arrests

Video of arrests at #citibank near WA Sq NY. #O15 #occupyWallSt #OWS

(Updates with dismissal in seventh paragraph.)

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- A bartender and his fiancée involved in an Occupy Wall Street protest sued the New York City Police Department for alleged civil-rights violations stemming from a protest at a Citibank branch last month.

In a complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court, Julio Jose Jimenez-Artunduaga and Heather Carpenter claimed the police violated protesters' constitutional rights against unlawful detention and arrest and used excessive force after the Oct. 15 demonstration.

Carpenter, 23, a Citibank account holder from Port Jefferson on New York's Long Island, decided to close her account after being notified that the bank was imposing a $17 monthly fee unless she maintained a balance of $6,000, according to the complaint.

She said in that she and other protesters, including Jimenez-Artunduaga, joined a demonstration inside the branch at 555 LaGuardia Place in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

According to the complaint, Carpenter left the branch after closing her account and began filming demonstrators as they interacted with police. An unidentified officer arrested Carpenter, saying, “You were inside with everybody else. You have to come with me,” according to the complaint.

Handcuffed

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