Frank Eligio is a name you've heard on this newscast before. 7 years ago In 2004 he was charged for the attempted murder and attempted robbery of businessman Phillip Gallaty. But his case never even made it to trial, but it seems Eligio has remained a target for police.
And he says on Sunday night he came in from his home in Lucky Strike and was in the city visiting his mother.
At 8:00 pm, he was buying some fried chicken when police rolled up on him and said they wanted to search his pickup truck at the Queen Street Station.
But they never took him to Queen Street; instead he says they abducted him, made him drive up the northern highway, first to Sandhill and then unto old Northern Highway - where he was followed by a Jaguar operation pickup truck. He told us of his ordeal:
Frank Eligio - Claims Police Brutality
"So when I got into my truck, and we took off going through Ladyville, a police man said, 'Frank Eligio, all we want are 2 packs of cocaine. If we can't get 2 packs of cocaine, we will beat you and kill you.' They drove and took me all the way up. When we arrived in Sand Hill, where WASA have their treatment plant, the men drove through that road. They shut down my truck, shut down the BDF truck. Through that way is dark. When they opened the door - because the back of the vehicle has some light. When the light came on, I saw all of them get out, and I was still sitting in there., one of them pulled out a tazing thing, and he shoved it under my throat. I jerked a little further into my vehicle. The next 2 police officer dragged me and brought me out. When they got me out, they started to punch me in my chest, and I fell to the ground. And when I was on the ground, they kicked me up in my chest. I had to stay down on the ground and moan. They picked me up again and put the tazing thing and shocked me being my head. And when they shocked me, I fell, and they started to beat me again. A police officer said, 'all we want is 2 kilos. If we can't get what you got, we will kill you, you and you won't be able to spend it.' So I told the men that I didn't have anything. The men pulled out their guns. They took out all their bullets. There was a plastic bag that they took out, and loaded their weapons with new bullets. That's when they pointed the gun at me, and told me, ' So you are not going to give us what we came for then?' I asked them about how I can give them what I don't have. That's when the officer fired 2 shots by my ear. He told me that the next one would go through my mouth. The man said, ' it's easier that you give what we came for, at least a 4 grand, and pack.' I told them that I didn't have that."
Jules Vasquez
"But wait, are they trying - are they looking to arrest you for this? Or are you saying that they want to 'work with' 2 kilos that you are supposed to have?"
Frank Eligio
"It's what I supposed to have. They didn't want to arrest me. They wanted to take something from me. If they can't get anything from me, they want to kill me. They came around and punctured the 4 tires on my truck. Later on, they reversed, and left me right there; they left."
Jules Vasquez
"Frank, now you can speak plainly. In your past, maybe this is something you used to deal with."
Frank Eligio
"In my past, I used to give a little trouble, but not messing with drugs. It used to be trouble with the police, now again with a small offense."
Jules Vasquez
"But then, it doesn't make any sense that they are going through all of this effort to pull up on you, take you through all of that. That's hours that are spending for nothing. So, it must be based on something."
Frank Eligio
"Well I don't know. The man just pressured me about cocaine and money."
Jules Vasquez
"But is there any time - maybe 10 years ago you dealt with this."
Frank Eligio
"I never dealt with that kind of thing. The only thing I used to get into was a little problem with a firearm, handling stolen goods or a burglary. But they could never say that they found so much kilos, or that I had so much. They could never find that kind of thing. I never had that kind of thing."
Jules Vasquez
"Okay, now how you told this story, I'll tell you the truth. It's kinda hard to believe, in terms of all those things that those men put you through for nothing. I mean in terms of changing the rounds in their guns, and then saying that they want these 2 kilos for their personal possession. It's not like they want to get 2 kilos that you had to arrest you for drug trafficking."
Frank Eligio
"They were looking to take possession because that's how they do things. Once they hear that you have anything they want to come about-"
Jules Vasquez
"So you are sure that no part of this story you just told me is fiction? You swear to this?"
Frank Eligio
"I swear to this. This is real."
He has made a complaint to police internal affairs and the police press officer has told us it is under investigation...
Notably, he came to our studio accompanied by his father Hilario who - our records shows - was beaten up by police in 2006 - after police say he tried to stop them from getting at his son...
