City’s 50G tab for cop punch

A PUNCH from a 300-pound cop that broke a Brooklyn vandal’s nose will cost taxpayers $50,000, a federal jury decided Tuesday.

Cristian Garcia admitted he ran from cops after he was caught in the act of writing his tag “Cosmik” on a used clothing bin in Borough Park.

Garcia, 22, claimed in his lawsuit that he was the victim of excessive force. The jury agreed after a two-day trial in Brooklyn Federal Court.

He testified that Sgt. Albert Cabello, a former football coach at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, chased him into the hallway of his apartment building, slammed him into the concrete wall and punched him three times in the face.

City lawyer Kimberly Savino ridiculed Garcia’s ac- count, arguing that he had exaggerated his injuries and didn’t appear badly beaten in his mugshot.

“Take a look at Sgt. Cabello,” Savino said in her closing statement. “Imagine what (Garcia) would look like if a 300-pound person punched him in the face.”

City officials said they are considering an appeal of the verdict because Judge Jack Weinstein precluded them from introducing evidence that showed Garcia had a prior graffiti arrest.

Garcia’s lawyer Scott Cerbin said the jury got it right, but the NYPD dropped the ball.

“He (Cabello) got away with a felony assault and the NYPD had no interest in disciplining him,” Cerbin said. “It’s a joke.”

Cabello, who was a cop in the 66th Precinct when the incident occurred, has since been promoted to sergeant and works in the 122nd Precinct on Staten Island.