Robert Besedin Sr., of Baldwin, testifies 2 Nassau police officers 'flung me headfirst to the ground' at police misconduct trial

An Air Force veteran testified in federal court Thursday that two Nassau police officers "put their hands on the back of my neck and flung me headfirst to the ground" during an encounter outside his Baldwin home seven years ago.

Robert Besedin Sr., 79, told jurors he was knocked out for several minutes after police officers Stephen Beckwith and Dominick Mantovani threw him off his porch on Feb. 7, 2017. He suffered injuries to his head, left elbow, upper left arm, right flank and left flank, according to a medical report shown to the jury.

"They both put their hands on the back of my neck and flung me headfirst to the ground," said Besedin, who filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 naming Beckwith, Mantovani, Nassau County and Nassau police as defendants. "One said to the other, 'Should we do it again?' " Besedin testified. " 'Do you think he had enough pain?' "

Besedin's testimony came on the second day of an alleged police misconduct trial in federal court in Brooklyn stemming from a lawsuit that claims the officers violated Besedin’s civil rights by assaulting him and then falsely arresting and detaining him. Nassau County and the police department, the lawsuit said, failed to properly train or supervise the officers.

Besedin, his attorney Fred Brewington told the jury during his opening statement on Wednesday, had called police several times that day because he was upset about a burglary at his auto repair business.

Beckwith and Mantovani had responded to the house three times that day before they arrested Besedin, testifying that they told him he would be arrested if he did not stop harassing 911 operators before his arrest. Besedin was charged with second-degree assault, harassment and resisting arrest. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case nearly a year later.

Besedin, who now lives in a senior care facility and uses a wheelchair, has struggled with memory issues after the 2017 incident with Beckwith and Mantovani, his daughter Laura Besedin testified Thursday.

Her father seemed confused at times during a brief cross-examination by defense attorney Keira Meehan. U.S. District Judge Nina Morrison cut short the cross-examination at 5 p.m., and Meehan is expected to resume her questioning Friday morning.

A Nassau police spokesman said he could not comment on pending litigation. A spokesman for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier Thursday, Mantovani denied that he threw Besedin off the porch of the Harrison Avenue home — appearing to contradict the grainy, dark video presented to the jury the day before that shows Mantovani’s left forearm across Besedin’s neck as he pushed the plaintiff down the stairs.

Mantovani testified that he was cupping Besedin’s head with his hand as the two men, along with Beckwith, moved down four steps, from the top of the porch to a concrete path. He said his forearm never touched Besedin.

Brewington told Mantovani that his testimony also contradicted a 2022 deposition, when Brewington asked the officer "Didn't you actually propel Mr. Besedin down the stairs, yes or no?"

"I would say yes," Brewington said Mantovani testified during the deposition.

Mantovani also testified that he "hopped" down the stairs, contradicting a felony complaint written by Beckwith that said Besedin had pushed Mantovani off the porch, injuring the cop.

"At the time, I thought it to be accurate," Mantovani told Brewington on Thursday.

"And when the video came out, you changed your story?" Brewington asked.

"No, I did not," Mantovani responded.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Andrew Brancato, Mantovani testified that the officers were leaving when Besedin stepped out of his home and told them that he had firearms in his basement as he moved toward them. Brewington pushed back, saying there was no mention of weapons in Mantovani’s deposition, criminal complaints or other documents.

"The first time you said it was in this courtroom, in front of this jury," Brewington said. "Guns in the basement, that is a serious matter."

Beckwith said he didn’t raise the issue of guns until Thursday because people have a Second Amendment right to own firearms and the purported guns were not relevant to the charges filed against Besedin.

Both officers also testified that they had been exonerated by Internal Affairs, but that the Internal Affairs investigators did not review the video with them.