On April 26, 2021, plaintiff Richard Basora, apparently intoxicated at the time, had a violent altercation with Sam Brickell, a motorist who was parked in Basora's driveway. According to court documents, Brickell exited his vehicle and Basora said he saw him carrying a knife or a boxcutter. After Basora spotted the sharp object, the two men began chasing each other around Brickell's vehicle. Basora noticed that the driver's side door was still ajar—he took the keys from the ignition and threw them in his house.

During the altercation, Poughkeepsie police officers arrived at the scene. When Officer Tyler Hoag arrested and handcuffed Basora, he first noticed that Basora was holding a knife. Basora struggled with Hoag while being led to the street before feeling a shove from behind and a sharp pain in his shin.