Former Elmira Police Chief Anthony Alvernaz has filed a lawsuit against the city, mayor and city manager.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in the US District Court in the Western District of New York.
According to WENY-TV, the specific allegations in the lawsuit have not been made public but it involves civil rights and employment matters.
Alvernaz served with the Elmira Police Department from 1996 until his termination in January of 2023. He was named police chief in 2021.
He was fired after body camera footage captured an incident on Riverside Drive in December of 2022. Footage shows Alvernaz driving an unmarked police car directly into the path of a man running from officers. He also assisted with the man’s arrest by briefly driving his knee into the suspect’s back and cuffing him while sitting on him.
He was later fired for acting in a manner the city called “unprofessional and insubordinate.”
No further information regarding the lawsuit has been released.
