Dirty Allentown, PA cop Andrew Holveck sued after beating man black and blue

Florencio Vazquez Jr. was waiting for a bus on the steps of a corner store when Allentown, PA police officer Andrew Holveck approached him.

Holveck believing Vazquez was drunk began to ask him questions.

What should have been a routine check by Holveck quickly escalated into a violent arrest that left Vazquez with bruises and scrapes across his face and hands and psychological trauma.

Vazquez is suing in an excessive force lawsuit filed against Allentown and Holveck in U.S. District Court.
span>  Allentown police surveillance video of the July 26 arrest shows the officer reacting as Vazquez reaches into his right pocket for a cigarette. Holveck grabs Vazquez by the wrist and pulls him from the steps to the sidewalk behind a trash bin, which obscures the camera's view of all but Vazquez's right leg.

Then, two unidentified police officers approach to assist Holveck in the arrest. One of the officers bends over behind the trash can and throws three punches toward Vazquez on the ground. With each punch, the unidentified officer's arm and elbow are seen popping up from behind the trash bin. Five officers, in all, responded to the scene.

Vazquez, 28, of the 500 block of North Penn Street in Allentown, was treated for his injuries, including a black eye and bruises to the left side of his face, at Sacred Heart Hospital.

His Oct. 16 lawsuit, which alleges violations of the constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure and the guarantee of due process and equal protection under the law, is the third excessive-force suit Orloski has filed against Allentown and its police officers since September.