Shocking video shows a lone New York City police officer fending off several men who appear to be ganging up on him inside a Lower East Side subway station.
One of the men is seen lunging at the officer, then falling onto the tracks.
Police say the officer had asked the men, who are homeless and appeared intoxicated, to leave the East Broadway stop Sunday night after a woman complained they were harassing her.
The men refused and then became combative, according to police.
After the man fell on the tracks during the struggle, the officer asked that power to the tracks to be turned off while also asking for additional units to respond.
All 5 were taken into custody, but charges against them were dropped.
Three of the drifters were released from NYPD’s Transit District 4 on Monday, the NY Post reported.
Two others — Juan Nuñez and Eliseo Alvarez Santos — were taken to Manhattan Criminal Court where the District Attorney declined charges.
The NYPD’s Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch blamed the incident on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s handling of the city’s homeless crisis, saying: “Once again, in de Blasio’s New York, we see a police officer having to rectify a problem allowed to fester by the inaction of this administration.”
“The officer was responding to a complaint from a woman of harassment by these homeless men at the station”.
“He used textbook defensive measures taught in the police academy against overwhelming odds in an effort to protect himself and anyone else on the platform. He is to be commended for good work and courage.”
This could have ended very differently. Thank G-d the officer is safe. He had every right to draw his weapon to protect himself. He put himself in danger’s way to de-escalate and spare the lives of criminals. I hope he gets a medal. https://t.co/lKaXTiBLgo
— Kalman Yeger (@KalmanYeger) December 24, 2018
“the District Attorney declined charges”
I really can’t understand this. What kind of message does this send to cops?https://t.co/SJQdkN0V8k via @nypmetro
— Kalman Yeger (@KalmanYeger) December 26, 2018
View this post on Instagram
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
Fine products of the Public School System.
Maybe they did this so they would have a warm place to be and some food to eat. Nebach on all of them. Many homeless are really just mentally handicapped. I hope NYPD cuts them some slack and takes care of them instead of throwing to the wolves.
Pepper spray would also help
the officer asked that power to the tracks to be turned off How outrageous!!! Why should innocent MTA customers be inconvenienced by being stuck on trains and being rerouted, because some evil person decided to get involved with drinking and fighting.
@sissie 613
Your comment reminds me of an O’Henry story…winter coming on and the vagrant was having trouble getting thrown in jail for just vagrancy… so he “would have a warm place to be and some food to eat.”
But that was just trying to get arrested for vagrancy “taking care of the homeless problem,” (the mayor’s job) not harassing women and assaulting police officers.
B”H, that the officer was OK, and shame on the mayor and the district attorneys for not doing something about violent, harrassing predators, hardly nebachs.
If they suffer mental illness, then find a work farm for them to work off their demons…it should not be the public’s and the NYPD’s problem.
sissel613, even if people are mentally handicapped it does not mean they have license to loiter in the subway stations. Public areas need to be kept safe. There are places they can go to have a warm meal. These people can be dangerous and it’s disgusting to see them with their makeshift “apartments” liotering in the subway and streets.
While some are mentally unwell, there are many young people who would be capable of having a job but are just plain lazy and are hanging out on the streets in their cardboard box homes. Just walk around Manhattan, it’s absolutely ridiculous and looking worse every time I go there.