Allegations:
Brien had been dancing with a friend at the Hangge Uppe Bar on West Elm Street when he was assaulted by an employee in a dispute over a drink. As Brien was walking out with his friend, the employee grabbed him by the neck, slammed him into a wall and took him to the alley behind the bar. Shortly after the incident, Brien called police for help. Lt. Case and other officers, who were regularly assigned to patrol the neighborhood, arrived and spoke to a bar employee. But when Brien and his friend asked the officers to complete a battery report, interview the witnesses and look at the videotape from surveillance cameras in the bar, police refused and left. Brien and his friend called 911 several times and were told to wait for a supervisor or an officer. After an hour, Brien went to talk with Lt. Case at the police station to ensure that his complaint would be documented; he also asked Case if he could record their conversation. But when he approached Case with his phone, Case hit Brien in the face. Brien spent several days in the neurological intensive care unit and was unable to properly walk for several weeks because of his injuries. Case charged Brien with battery. Brien was found not guilty.