Just after midnight on September 16, several NYPD officers interrupted a group of friends celebrating Lamard Joye's 35th birthday near a basketball court in Coney Island. A video of the confrontation appears to show one NYPD officer removing more than $1,000 from Joye's pockets. When Joye objects, the officer sprays him with what witnesses claim was pepper spray. Later, the same officer sprays Joye's sister after she asks for his name and badge number.