Ben Crump petition alleges NYPD was responsible for death of Bronx teen in custody
The medical examiner ruled the teen’s death to be a suicide.
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Ben Crump, an attorney known for taking on national civil rights cases, filed a petition, alleging that the NYPD was responsible for the death of a Bronx woman over the summer inside a cell at the 41st Precinct.
The family told News 12 that the teenager was on her way home from a Fourth of July cookout at Crotona Park, when she got into a fight with her girlfriend and was arrested for disorderly conduct.
At first, police said that Cheatham became unresponsive while inside of a cell at the 41st Precinct in Longwood and died by suicide - then later said it was a medical emergency.
The medical examiner ruled the teen’s death to be a suicide.
Her family says officers ignored clear warnings that she was in crisis, leaving major questions about the department’s handling of her detention.
The petition, filed on Nov. 14, alleges the department violated her civil rights and caused her death while she was unlawfully held at the precinct, and it includes a request for an order to show cause.
Donald Curtis, the founder of the Unified Black Caucus, is helping organize another rally - one aimed at keeping public attention on Saniyah’s case and continuing the push for transparency surrounding her death.
