A Brooklyn man says he plans to sue the NYPD. He claims police beat him up twice and arrested him for no reason. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.

It was a hectic scene Sunday on 51st Avenue in Sunset Park as police arrested Franqueli Diaz.  A large crowd gathered, yelling that police were cuffing Diaz for no reason.    

The arrest was the result of a confrontation five days earlier, on September 20, caught on surveillance and cellphone video.

Diaz says two plainclothes officers approached him and asked if he had anything on him. He lifted his shirt to show he had nothing. 

Within seconds, Diaz and the police were scuffling. 

Meminger: What did the cops do to you?
Diaz: Choke me, choke me.
Diaz: And punch me for nothing.

Diaz, who speaks little English, says he suffered head and other injuries.  

His lawyer, Jay Schwitzman, says police had no probable cause to arrest him in the September 20 confrontation. He pointed out that police did not chase Diaz when he ran away.

"They thought he had something, and then once they took him down, they had to follow through with this," Schwitzman said. "The police never should have gotten out of the car to approach him, because there was no reason to approach him."

The criminal complaint says narcotics officers approached Diaz because they saw him holding a tissue with crack cocaine. Diaz says he was only wiping his hands.

"Nothing, doing nothing," he said.

Diaz and his friends are sticking to the story, that he did nothing wrong. They say police around here are always harassing people.

"We are a target. We are discriminated. We don't have no rights when it comes to these people dealing with us. We complain to Captain Gonzalez," said one resident.

Meminger: So you went to complain?
Resident: Yeah. And they kick us out. They say, "Get out. You are not allowed in my precinct."

Police did not recover any drugs on Diaz, but sources say he is known to police, and that that block is a hot spot for drug activity and police can't turn a blind eye to the situation.