An alleged home burglar from Queens, New York, was caught in the act and shot in the rear end by officers from the New York Police Department. Now he wants $10 million for his troubles.
Felix Perez, 38, who has been arrested six times for burglary in the past, was busted by cops after a woman in a Maspeth, New York, neighborhood reported to police that she spotted a man in her child's bedroom through her live-surveillance home security system video.
According to the New York Post, video footage from a neighbor shows police arriving on the scene. On the video, a gunshot can be heard as a man in a baseball cap darts out of the house. Police chased Perez and arrested him a block away from the home, where he was allegedly in possession of stolen jewelry, including rings, earrings, and watches.
Perez has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, representing himself in the suit, and claims to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to court documents. He asserts that he is unable to get a good night's sleep because he has "nightmares of being killed by officers and fear of anyone in uniform."
Although authorities say Perez was shot during a struggle with police, Perez denied in court documents that there had been a confrontation. "I was shot by an officer of the 104th Precinct while trying to flee the scene of a burglary. I was unarmed and showed no intention of harming anyone nor did I make any hand gestures indicating that I was armed or dangerous.”
The bullet, which is still lodged in his rear, narrowly missed vital muscles and organs, according to Perez, who said the bullet was extremely close to hitting his femoral artery, urethra, and rectum.
Perez is being held at Rikers Island Correctional Facility and is scheduled to appear in criminal court next week. The city has not yet viewed the lawsuit.
