A New York City police officer was stripped of his gun and badge Monday after he was caught on video slamming a cyclist in motion to the ground.
The cyclist was among over a hundred other “Critical Mass” riders passing through Times Square Friday evening, when witnesses say – and as a video posted on YouTube shows – two officers approach him. (Critical Mass ride is a monthly protest of urban reliance on motor vehicles.)
What happens next is disturbing. One of the officers intercepts the rider, identified as Christopher Long of Bloomfield, N.J., and apparently deliberately shoves him hard as he rides by, sending the cyclist hard to the pavement.
Police have placed the officer, identified as Patrick Pogan, on desk duty pending the outcome of a department investigation. Pogan told officials that Long was obstructing traffic and that the biker was actually trying to run him down.
Long, 29, was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
Prosecutors say the cyclist, Christopher Long, was charged with blocking traffic, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault.
Police say Long was riding his bike in the center lane, forcing several drivers to use their brakes or change direction.
During his arrest, Long squirmed and kicked, saying to the officers, “You are pawns in the game. I’m gonna have your job,” the complaint said.
There were no other arrests in the ride.
Long’s lawyer said he hopes the Manhattan district attorney’s office will drop the charges. The district attorney’s office said it was investigating.
(Source: CBS2 HD / NY1 / 1010WINS)
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10 Responses
The headline is misleading and inaccurate. The officer was not stripped of his badge – he was simply assigned to desk duty pending investigation.
Some of these guys driving like animals through traffic and stop for nothing. The other day there was this biker that flew by a red light (and I know he’s not a car) and went through traffic that had a green light. The biker nearly got mowed down by a car. I understand a lot of these guys are letter messengers and there all in a rush, but you have to have respect for others on the road.
“you are pawns in the game, I’m gonna have your job”
and someone was filming this.
Sounds like the cops were set up.
Critical Mass
Critical Mass ride is a monthly protest of urban reliance on motor vehicles.
Environmental wacko anarchists.
I’m glad I live in Lakewood.
* There is no such organization or group called “Critical Mass”. Critical Mass is, simply, a self-organized bike ride that happens in cities around the world, and it meant to demonstrate the bicyclists are indeed traffic
* Any political leanings you may try to pin on people who ride in Critical Mass rides are bound to be inaccurate and overly broad. Have you ever spoken to any participants? No? Any “ant-cop” feelings stem from the ridiculous, dangerous and illegal tactics that the NYPD has resorted to in their attempt to completely control public space.
* in the past, NYPD has illegally arrested, tickets, assaulted riders in CM. They have perjured themselves on the stand repeatedly. They have illegally spied on riders, and have promulgated unconstitutional changes to parade law in an attempt to control bicycle riders’ (and pedestrians’) freedom to move about on public rights of way. Finally, they have repeatedly demonstrated a poor understanding of what the traffic and parade laws actually state, resulting in tickets and arrests for non-existent statutes.
* I do NOT understand what this cop did — it is plain, out and out ASSAULT. And this cop deserves to be fired and arrested. Unfortunately, this type of thuggish behavior is nothing new.
Next time, instead of repeating your hysterical and misinformed rants, please do a modicum of research before you post. You won’t embarrass yourself like you just did above.
lavdavka
My oh my do we hate authority…
Had a too stern father did you?
lavdafka,
I don’t know where you get your information from, but they are notorious in San Franscisco for blocking traffic and not allowing normal commuters to get to where they need to go. They routinely block the roads and don’t allow the cars to go by.
They are basically a radical environmental group that wants to discourage use of powered vehicles and they force their will on the rest of the unwilling public.
I have never heard any report claiming that they simply want the right to be on the road. Messengers in New York routinely ride bikes and no critical mass obstruction is necessary to protect their rights.
An investigation will hopefully determine the truth. It is possible the cyclist/demonstrator was trying to intimidate the police officer, and anti law enforcement attitudes are met with less than kind gestures.
On the other hand, a search at You Tube show videos from all parts of the country with altercations between officers and Critical Mass cyclists, so this officer may have had a bone to pick with any random rider.
Please, please kinderlach. Please stop fighting. Your violence is deafening! Just go to the New York Post website and you can all judge for yourselves if the cop did anything wrong or not.
#8, Flatbush Bubby. With all due respect, I took your suggestion and l looked at the NY Post website. Now I am not so unbiased. The cop looked like a football linebacker waiting to make his tackle. Again, I think an investigation is necessary. The officer has already had disciplinary measures imposed on him. The only explanation I can think of is if the cyclist threatened the cop to move and he intimidated the office, the cyclist had this coming to him.
Flatbush Bubby ur nieve