A holy war could be brewing in the same neighborhood where Amadou Diallo was gunned down by cops, following the false arrest of a local minister. The powerfully connected preacher claims cops beat and kicked him as he lay handcuffed on the ground.

Indalecio del Valle, a Pentecostal minister and member of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, claims cops yanked him out of his car, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him and then proceeded to beat and kick him.

With tears in his eyes and sporting a small red bruise on his cheek, Del Valle described the incident in the district office of State Senator Ruben Diaz (D-NY), who is president of the clergy organizations, claiming that the officers patrolling the community where Diallo was gunned down have learned little from that tragedy.

“If you are now going to target the ministers, then you have a problem,” Diaz said of the police.

Both NYPD brass and officials at the 43rd Precinct admit that Del Valle was falsely arrested because cops had mistaken his white Chevy Suburban for a white Ford Explorer they were searching for.

“The minister was mistakenly taken into custody and released after a short time. His claim that he was punched by a police officer is under investigation,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne.

The incident began on March 15 when cops were on the hunt for a drug suspect in a white Ford Explorer who attempted to run an officer over while escaping. Del Valle said he was on his way to his church when he was pulled over by a police van on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Ten officers surrounded the SUV with guns drawn and ordered him out of the vehicle. When he did not move, one of the officers opened the driver’s door and pulled the minister out by his arm and threw him to the ground.

“He just pulled me out of the car, handcuffed me and started beating me,” Del Valle said.

A police officer at the 43rd Precinct, who was familiar with the case, said Del Valle had frozen when the officers surrounded the vehicle and sat inside the SUV with his hands on the steering wheel. As he was being removed from the truck the minister fell to the ground.

Officials at the precinct would not comment. However, NYPD officials said they were looking into the incident.

Del Valle said he was taken to the 43rd Precinct where he was released from his cuffs and was told by the precinct’s commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Brendan Bane, that he had mistakenly been arrested. After a lengthy talk in which the commander apologized for the incident, Del Valle was taken to Einstein Hospital where he was examined.

Pointing to a red mark on his cheek, Del Valle claims that the officers had bruised his legs and back and he underwent X-rays and CAT scans.

“He was beaten and abused. This is a case of excessive force,” Diaz said.

Attorney Michael Lamonsoff, who plans to lodge a civil rights complaint and to file a lawsuit against the city and possibly the state, said his client was never charged and never read his rights. “This is a clear case of a racial profiling and police brutality. This can’t keep going on.”

Former NYCLU director Norman Siegel said the false arrest and alleged abuse of Del Valle stems from a deep seeded problem within the NYPD regarding racial profiling. He believes the incident highlights the need for better sensitivity training for officers in minority communities.

“The NYPD and the mayor’s office continue to put their heads in the sand. It’s not just a few bad apples. It’s a culture. It’s a legacy,” he said.

Community leaders are quite mindful of the impact this incident could have. Del Valle was arrested a short distance from where Amadou Diallo was mistakenly shot to death by four officers on the steps of his apartment building. Since the 1999 shooting, community leaders have been working closely with the 43rd Precinct and its commander to defuse potentially dangerous situations.

“Bane was apologetic,” said Francisco Gonzalez, district manager of Community Board 9. “The 43rd has been forthcoming when it comes to incidents. If there is a problem, I am sure it will be dealt with fairly with everyone.”

Carmela Price, who works for Sen. Diaz, said the tension between the police and the community is not going away. She claims to receive complaints on a weekly basis that students and residents are harassed by the police.

“There’s an ongoing problem here and it has to stop,” she said.