FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After Widely Reported Allegations, Captain Bowen Will Now Pursue Civil-Rights Litigation Against the NYPD Over His False Arrest, Detention, and Treatment Inside the 103rd Precinct

Queens, New York — May 14, 2026 — The Sanders Firm, P.C., led by civil rights attorney Eric Sanders, has announced that the criminal case against NYPD Captain Kai E. Bowen has been dismissed and sealed in Queens Criminal Court, Part AP2, pursuant to CPL § 170.30(1)(f).

The dismissal and sealing mark a significant development in a case that was publicly reported when Captain Bowen was accused. On or about March 13, 2026, multiple news outlets reported allegations that Captain Bowen had assaulted a 67-year-old man during a domestic dispute in Queens. Those reports stated that Captain Bowen allegedly grabbed the man by the shoulders, threw him to the ground, punched him, and obstructed his breathing. The reports further stated that the incident allegedly occurred after the same man had been arrested for allegedly groping a 15-year-old girl believed to be related to Captain Bowen.

Those allegations were publicly amplified.

The criminal case against Captain Bowen has now been dismissed and sealed.

“Captain Bowen’s arrest was reported publicly. The dismissal and sealing of the case should not be buried quietly,” said Eric Sanders, Esq., founder and president of The Sanders Firm, P.C. “The public should not be left with the accusation while the outcome disappears into silence. That is how reputations are damaged, careers are undermined, and government misconduct escapes scrutiny.”

Captain Bowen pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released without bail after arraignment. The criminal matter has now been dismissed and sealed. With the criminal case resolved, Captain Bowen will now pursue civil litigation against the NYPD and responsible officials concerning the violation of his constitutional rights.

The forthcoming civil action will examine the circumstances surrounding Captain Bowen’s arrest, detention, processing, and treatment inside the 103rd Precinct. It will also examine the conduct of NYPD Internal Affairs personnel involved in the matter, including the role of Chief of Internal Affairs Edward A. Thompson and the investigators operating under his command.

“This was not discipline. This was not integrity. This was institutional abuse with badges attached,” Sanders said. “The NYPD no longer has a criminal case to hide behind. That case is over. The accountability case begins now.”

The civil litigation will focus on how NYPD officials handled the allegations, what information was ignored or distorted, who approved the arrest and internal handling, and whether department officials used the machinery of the NYPD to advance a legally defective process against one of its own captains.

Captain Bowen maintains that his arrest was unlawful and that his constitutional rights were trampled by NYPD officials who were required to follow the law, not manipulate it. The dismissal and sealing of the criminal matter now clears the path for civil accountability.

“The original public reporting described the accusation,” Sanders said. “The public record must now reflect the result. The case was dismissed. The case was sealed. Captain Bowen is no longer defending himself in criminal court. He is now moving forward against the people and institutions responsible for what happened to him.”

The Sanders Firm, P.C. intends to seek full accountability for the violation of Captain Bowen’s rights, the damage to his reputation, and the institutional failures that allowed this matter to proceed.

About The Sanders Firm, P.C.

The Sanders Firm, P.C. is a New York-based law firm focused on civil rights, immigration, employment discrimination, police misconduct, and other high-stakes matters. Its founder and president, Eric Sanders, Esq., is a retired NYPD officer who brings a rare inside perspective to the intersection of government power, public institutions, enforcement discretion, and constitutional accountability.

For more than twenty years, Sanders has counseled thousands of clients and handled complex matters involving police use of force, sexual harassment, retaliation, systemic discrimination, immigration consequences, and related civil-rights violations. He is widely recognized as a leading New York civil-rights attorney and a prominent voice on evidence-based policing, institutional accountability, equal justice, and rights-based immigration advocacy.

Media Contact