More than 500 students received a BlitzMail message Tuesday and Wednesday in which Brian de Moya '00 alleged he was mistreated by Safety and Security officers and assaulted by a Hanover Policeman Saturday night.
De Moya told The Dartmouth last night he had a bruise on his upper right eye socket from being thrown into a concrete wall by the police officer; a cut on his left wrist from being handcuffed; and bruises on his right palm and left knee.
Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone would not comment other than to say "there was an incident and it is still under investigation."
The two Safety and Security officers who initially responded to the complaint also declined to comment last night.
De Moya sent a BlitzMail message Monday evening, telling his version of the events, to the members of Alpha Delta fraternity.
De Moya's message included his official written response to a Safety and Security investigation of the incident.
De Moya also sent the message to Jules Kesner '00 and Takeshi Toyohara '00 who included de Moya's story in their "Generic Good Morning Message" -- a daily message of news and information which is sent to more than 275 students daily.
"I feel people should be aware of its occurrence," De Moya wrote.
De Moya's message said two Safety and Security officers arrived at the common room of his three-room double in French Hall around midnight Saturday evening, 30 minutes after a party ended there. According to his e-mail message, the officer made him and his roommate throw away empty beer cans in the room, then asked to search the refrigerator.
De Moya's message said, he was then told he would have to go to Dick's House for the night or be turned over to a friend's supervision. De Moya wrote he and his roommate decided to leave the room after being yelled at and threatened, to avoid further confrontation.
De Moya wrote in the BlitzMail message that Sperling left to use the restroom, accompanied by an officer, but kept walking past the room instead of returning. While the officers were attempting to bring Sperling back, the message said, de Moya left.
After walking down a flight of stairs, de Moya's message said, he was accosted by a Hanover Police officer who had responded to a call from the Safety and Security officers.
De Moya's message said that he was then assaulted, threatened, handcuffed, manhandled and taunted, then brought to the police station. There, he wrote, he voluntarily took a breathalyzer test to prove he had not been drinking and blew a .000 blood alcohol content. He said the police released him and he was driven back to his room.
Mark Hill '00, an undergraduate advisor on the first floor of French, said he heard loud screaming on the night in question and went up to the second floor where he saw de Moya and the officers.
"I saw two Safety and Security officers, one police officer and a sophomore," Hill said. "The officers were surrounding him. The kid was hysterical, wondering why they arrested him and claiming police brutality."
Hill said he did not see the officers do anything which he would call brutality.
Alana Heller '01 said she heard one of the officers swearing and threatening de Moya while she was sitting on the first floor stairs, on the night in question.
"We saw a cop go running in, and then we heard a thump," Heller said. "We heard Brian saying 'What did you just tackle me for? I didn't do anything.'"
De Moya said after the he was taken back to his room at around 1:30 a.m., he went to Dick's House to have his injuries treated and documented.
After de Moya was taken to the police station, Sperling said he went back to his room where Safety and Security officers gave him a citation for possession of alcohol.
De Moya has yet to be charged with any crime.
