Suffolk County driver sues police after alleged assault during traffic stop
Dashcam and body-cam video captured a Medford traffic stop in which Craig Manning says a Suffolk County officer punched him repeatedly.
Craig Manning of Medford has sued the Suffolk County Police Department after video from a North Ocean Avenue traffic stop showed Officer Robert Rufrano opening a passenger-side door and striking him repeatedly, according to the complaint. The April 2 encounter has put a new spotlight on how Suffolk police handle routine stops, force decisions and civilian oversight.
Manning, 49, says the stop began over an alleged illegal left turn. Video reviewed by outlets shows the encounter was recorded on both dashboard camera and body camera footage, giving the public a second-by-second record of what unfolded outside the vehicle. The complaint says Manning asked to speak with a supervisor and refused to hand over his license and registration before the encounter escalated.
The lawsuit says Rufrano pulled open the passenger-side door, knocked Manning’s phone from his hand and struck him multiple times with a closed fist. Manning’s attorney, Frederick K. Brewington, says the arrest was wrong from the beginning and argues the video supports a civil-rights case. The Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association has said Manning resisted arrest.
Reports say Manning suffered a concussion, two black eyes and a cut on his forehead. He was also charged with traffic violations and resisting arrest. Suffolk County police have declined to comment because litigation is pending.
The case lands in a county that has spent years under scrutiny over discriminatory policing and the mechanics of reform. Suffolk County’s Police Reform and Reinvention plan was approved by the Suffolk County Legislature on March 30, 2021, and submitted to New York State on April 1, 2021. County reports said major reforms included body cameras, bias training and a behavioral mental health unit, and Suffolk County announced deployment of body-worn cameras for SCPD officers beginning in 2021.
County officials have also said the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission has oversight responsibilities for police misconduct investigations. The U.S. Department of Justice ended federal oversight of the Suffolk County Police Department in 2025 after concluding the department had reached substantial compliance with the settlement terms.
Because the Medford stop was captured on video from both a dashboard camera and a body camera, the legal fight is likely to turn on what happened in those seconds on North Ocean Avenue and whether Suffolk’s reform-era safeguards were enough to prevent a violent encounter during an ordinary traffic stop.
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