Quantcast

Enraged NYPD Traffic Agent Accused of Racist Assault

This Chinatown surveillance video depicts a heated altercation between an NYPD traffic agent and a car owner on Lafayette Street around 3:15 p.m. on October 8th. The video appears to show irate traffic agent Twana Chapman striking driver Qiang Nian Zhu after he tried to cover his registration sticker, so Chapman could not scan it. A crowd gathers, and Chapman is seen getting in one bystander's face, as another traffic agent pulls her away. But because there is no audio, it's not possible to verify an allegation that Chapman also made racist remarks.

Witnesses tell Fox that besides striking Zhu in the face with her scanner, Chapman angrily cursed at the bystanders. According to one account, she shouted, "You f------ Chinese, go back where you came from. All of you f------ Chinese!"

Zhu says it all started when he saw Chapman poised to ticket his car, and he told her he still had one minute left on his NYC parking receipt, displayed on his car's dashboard. He also told Chapman his wife was buying another ticket at the Munimeter down the block. After she struck him, he says he put his hands in his pockets so he could not be accused of assaulting her.

Nevertheless, he was arrested when the traffic agents called cops the scene, and is charged with obstruction of governmental administration and harassment. But maybe it was all worth it, because in the end he never got the parking ticket! The NYPD insists no one filed a complaint about racial epithets.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Comments [rss]

  • savior78

    oh and to felix mi amigo: "You f------ Mexican, go back where you came from. All of you f------ Mexican!" i'm definitely not a racist... i love mexicans! ;)

  • savior78

    and why don't lower-class black americans call "chinese" people asians? can we get away with calling blacks "nigerians"? is calling hispanics "mexicans" kosher? why are we so over-protective of blacks in america??? oh yeah, i forgot. they went through so much $hit. just don't call whites "german", got that?

  • ilovejapgirls

    why didn't anyone say "go back to africa" ??

  • savior78

    if zhu had used the n-word on her... would he be called a racist? or how about in reverse: "You f------ African, go back where you came from. All of you f------ African!" it this statement is not racist, then i'll start using it right away. hehehe

  • ra23h

    youkeero t'odon ho twa m'e



    ______________



    http://www.ra23h.com

    ra23h me'a plose

    ra23h net

    شبكة الرائعه

    ra23h yut poe luas

  • DOLPHIN

    There is obviously a guy there capturing the whole incident with his cell phone. Please post it for the world to see!!!

  • fixilator

    If, legally speaking, assault is:



    "...any gesture or action designed to physically intimidate..."



    then the traffic cop is plainly assaulting the Asian woman whose face she is getting in, screaming at her.



    This is not a race issue. If it's true that the parking receipt had a minute left on it, then the traffic agent was just being lazy, trying to get another ticket under her belt without having to walk 10 more steps. Lazy, fat-ass cop. What else is new??



    Unbelievable how many here are defending the completely unbalanced, aggressive, unprofessional POS meter maid.

  • Dwayne Hoover

    Is this her, "Queeny" from Brooklyn?:

    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000129682097

  • ribaldry

    Typical NYPD, zero respect for citizens. They arrest first and make up charges after.

  • dadoc

    Not getting into some of the funky things on this thread, but what's up with the weird contrasts on the video? is that how PD & TEA's show up, IR maybe? looked 1960ish.

  • valeriob

    Gregory Butler wrote exactly that here. You copy+pasted it.

  • Amanda Harletsch

    ...and this post makes a perfect example of the lack of decent higher education that many people in this City display so proudly.





    There are some jewels of stupidity that shine in its absurd simplistic glory.



    But would the authors even be slightly aware of their obscene provincialism?

  • sowhtifithppnsitwll

    20 years ago it was a misdemeanor to assault a traffic agent. Now it is treated the same as assault on a peace officer, upped to a felony.

  • The Edge

    OHAI MI NAYM IZ FELIX N RAZISM IZ ONLI AGENST BLAX PPL N HORSEEZ LAWL

  • felixthecat2

    LMFAO, I see the meds are kicking in.

  • ProcedureTurn

    Ask yourself this QUESTION:





    Would you rather be BLACK or CHINESE?



    Think about it.

  • Kojak

    I'd rather be both. Blk & Chinese couples have cute children.

  • The Edge

    Blackanese!

  • JLRodP

    i'd rather be chinese, all the way, lol.

  • The Edge
  • felixthecat2

    EDUCATE YOURSELF- watch the video and don't turn this to a RACE ISSUE. She didn't target him because he is ASIAN but because he interfered with her job and even push her scanner away. YES, she overreacted but perhaps she has anger management issue. IF she was white then would this EVEN be an ISSUE? It is you that needs to stop with all your stereotypes and ignorance.

  • bigmikebrooklyn

    you can't see that he pushed her scanner away, he may have put his hand in the way and she jerked it back quickly in a typical "oh, you think you're all that, i'm going to throw my hands in the air to make my self look bigger" gesture. look at the arm movement he makes, it's lateral, not up and out.

    hah! cockbreath. win.

  • The Edge

    Asshole, you're the first and only person who brought up John Liu and race card.



    Off your meds again today, I see.

  • felixthecat2

    Asshole, Did you read the heading "Racist Assault"??? The heading is BOLD and LARGE. I didn't say it was racist. that was the point of my comment. That is wasn't based on race. Now, get on your meds.

  • valeriob

    cockbreath

    1. Anyone you don't like.

    2. A condition similar to halitosis - possible side effect of felatio.

    3. A person suffering from cockbreath.



    Yep you were dead on, Edge.

  • felixthecat2

    Trolls in love. Sweet. Valeriob is gothamist racist troll and kind of gross as well.

  • valeriob

    T wrote that here. You copy+pasted it.

  • felixthecat2

    http://gothamist.com/2009/10/19/author_says_greenhouse_club_owner_b.php

    Based on The Edge and Valeriob's comment on this story as well, they just don't like Black people. Shame on them.

  • valeriob

    Still nothing racist going on there, despite your second link referencing it... You're the only racist homophobe and anti-Semite here.

    We don't need useless links to remind everyone of your "jews are all idiots" rant.

  • The Edge

    I C WAT U DID DERE

  • felixthecat2

    Racist, now this is a race warfare???? Stop with all your stereotypes. This is not an assault and it wasn't based on class. She didn't target him because he is Asian but before he interfered with her job. Watch the video. All your links are irrelevant. Now any altercation btw a Black person and An Asian is RACIST???? Howe Ignorant.

  • 5borough

    I would love to read the comments if everthing was exactly the same, but the "victim" was an off duty cop.

  • The Edge

    felix, care to cite well-documented cases of Asian on Black hate crimes here in NYC?



    Hmmmmm?



    And after you do that, look for Black on Asian hate crimes.. also here, in NYC.

  • felixthecat2

    WHAT IS YOUR POINT? FAIL, Why don't you put the Stats here instead of posting nonsensical open-ended questions?

  • The Edge

    What, afraid to admit that there are FAR more documented cases of Black-on-Asian crime than there is the other way around?



    Have you conveniently forgotten the Chinese student that got chased out into the street by a bunch of black kids, only to get hit by a car? The Chinese restaurant deliverers that get robbed/shot/stabbed.. by blacks?



    You want to cry about folks who play the race card (John Liu this, John Liu that), you better be prepared to back your insane statements up.. which, naturally, you can't.



    Hazel Dukes called John Liu--DESPITE whatever you feel about him--the "little Asian boy running around with 'us'". I don't recall you saying anything about that.



    So go fuck yourself, cockbreath.

  • felixthecat2

    I posted the links on John Liu but here the are again

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktDOS9DXlvQ

    http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2009/09/well-john.html

    John Liu falsely accused this man of raping his wife. Just google, read and educate yourself. Learn the facts first before you attack.

  • valeriob

    cockbreath

    1. Anyone you don't like.

    2. A condition similar to halitosis - possible side effect of felatio.

    3. A person suffering from cockbreath.

  • Ward 9 From Outer Space

    Back on topic... I have to say, if trying to look at this objectively, based on what I read, the traffic agent is further at fault here-- consider:



    She: Supplied the most physical violence; Made the first and possibly only generalized racial epithet; Brought third parties in and yelled at them, too.



    He: Covered up his registration sticker.



    We all probably have stereotypes in our head about the black woman traffic agent, and Chinese-Americans' views toward the law, but those shouldn't factor in, because we don't know how relevant they are in this particular case.



    She had all the power in this case, including deciding the appropriate level of empathy-- could have waited a minute and then scanned him; could have moved on to the next car, assuming this doesn't happen all the time her quota would be fine; could have written his license number down and sent him a ticket in the mail.



    The problem seems to me to be in her lack of training when the slightest thing goes wrong, or in her knowledge that because she's NYPD her actions will have no consequences. With great power comes great responsibility....

  • felixthecat2

    She had all the power in this case, including deciding the appropriate level of empathy-- ?



    She is supposed to do her job. Empathy is not part of it. And he push her scanner. watch the video. Also the video has no audio to hear if she did or didn't make those epithets. She didn't target him because he was Asian but because he interfere with her job. Therefore it wasn't racist but she did overreact.

  • snickerdoodle

    But, but, I thought black people couldn't be racist? Isn't that supposed to be impossible? That's what Jesse Jackson and the liberal media have been saying for years.



    I'm so confused.

  • AnnaMerkin

    Wow, it took 64 comments before this ridiculous statement was made. Jesse Jackson saying that black people couldn't be racist? Who cares what Jesse Jackson thinks? The "liberal media" says the same? Define the "liberal media" and give citations.



    Now, if you're really interested in a real discussion (highly doubtful), you'd realize that racism is based on power dynamics. That is, a person who is a racial minority can actually act as a racist when they are in a position of power with respect to a person of a different race.



    I'm sure you care about these types of nuances.

  • Guest

    So you're basing your definition of racism on what another prominent black person said it is? Sounds a bit hypocritical to me.



    Racism is NOT based on power dynamics. Racism is simply the belief that your race is superior to other races. If I'm walking down the street and a black person calls me "Cracker" or "White Trash", that's racism. Neither side of that exchange has any power over the other. Once you say that racism is based solely on power dynamics, you instantly remove any blame that could be placed on a minority for being a complete dipshit.

  • Bike Rider

    racism is NOT necessarily believing that your race is superior to others, it is using *race* as a basis for treating/judging people differently.

  • Guest

    And the only reason you would use race to judge/treat people differently is because you feel superior to them. Or are you saying that people who feel their race is inferior are also racists?

  • potsmoker

    yup, block it all you want,

    she had no right to smack him in the face.

    the correct response would be to call for a supervisor or just walk away.



    sorry.



    one minute left displayed on the dash or getting a new ticket is good enough reason to NOT write a ticket.



    plus if he had one minute left and the ticket was scanned. it would mean that he would WIN the case.

    so if that was me i would have let her write a ticket.











  • valeriob
  • whitecastlerock

    she has some pair to get him arrested. He disputed a ticket-her reaction was unjustified. That video shows him trying to block his dashboard so the bully with a tin badge wouldn't serve him up a parking summons. The other agents were trying to intimidate him by showing up their rent a cop outfits. When dealing with the public, these agents need to show restraint. She needs to be fired...

  • Clarice City

    She won't get fired. She's black and female.

  • nyorker555

    bottom line-- she's on the job and shouldnt have lost her composure.



    Yet another reason not to park on the street in NYC. Not worth it.

  • rasputinsghost



    it's completely plausible that she said something racist, but it's just a bad idea to touch a cop, even if it's just a traffic cop

  • felixthecat2

    Yes that is the definition but NYPD doesn't follow Webster dictionary but the Penal code.

  • rasputinsghost

    2 a : a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner) that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or contact



    Felix doesn't know the difference between assault and battery

  • felixthecat2

    http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/assaultAndBattery.cfm

    As the site above that your reference, "it is the laws of the state." check NYS penal code.

  • felixthecat2

    Leonard Munda, 54, who is now a deliveryman, was returning to his van on Forest Avenue near Oakland Avenue at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when he saw the ticket on his windshield and angrily confronted the female agent, sources said.



    He allegedly spat and cursed at the woman and threatened to run her over, then jumped into his van and sped off. The agent gave police his plate number and Munda was busted Wednesday on harassment charges. Jamie Schram



    Speak to an officer to understand. A dictionary won't help.

  • valeriob

    *doesn't know his ass from his elbow.

  • felixthecat2

    Hah, wow. It's alarming how amusing your indignation is, Val. This is a new one for me, but I see now why you like to get your rocks off by trolling people. Apparently pissing off a stranger on the internet is kind of hilarious.



    All your racist remarks are here

    http://gothamist.com/2009/10/19/author_says_greenhouse_club_owner_b.php

  • felixthecat2

    No it is harassment and you see that as she directs the scanner at her window that he shoves her scanner away. No, it isn't assault unless there is visible injuries. If I hit or push you and you have no visible injuries, the police will say it's harassment.

  • HymietownHero

    Legally speaking, assault is any gesture or action designed to physically intimidate or threaten an individual, and battery is any aggressive laying-of-the-hands on another person or any aggressive action coming in contact with the body of another. If you throw a punch and miss, or even if you come at me like you are going to attack me, that is assault. If your punch connects, or you throw something that hits me, it is considered battery by the civil code. As far as criminal charges go, the game is played a little differently...

  • felixthecat2

    (As far as criminal charges go, the game is played a little differently...,) Yep 100% right, NYPD won't file assault charges unless you are visibly injured. They arrest them on harassment. We had many protesters attacked by people and we hold them for the police but NYPD won't arrest them unless they witness the attack themselves or there are visible injuries. Now, i don't call NYPD and I just hit the person back but I make sure not to make any visible marks.

  • Potty Boy

    I think you can still file a formal complaint at the DA's office. They have their own investigators and make their own prosecutorial decisions. All other things being equal, an arrest could help a complainant's case, but a lack of one may not necessarily be fatal for the complainant.

  • felixthecat2

    Yes, we try that once but the manhattan DA's office stated that we needed to head to the police station to obtain a report and they refused. IT is all a scam. NYPD and not the LAW determines who to arrest.

  • valeriob

    I'de love to hear your version of domestic violence.

  • ProcedureTurn

    Why are the traffic agents predominantly colored? Just wondering.

  • SohoTimmy

    There is nothing wrong with what the agent did. The guy pushed a traffic agent. She is well within her rights to defend herself as she did. Gothamist should actually watch the tape before putting up articles. If you look at the tape you can see him push her away first. She doesn't "strike" him before he pushes her as the first paragraph of this article claims.



    This is a complete non-story and I'm sure the racist crap was made up after he got arrested. Traffic agents aren't punching bags.

  • angry_pickle

    So I guess you didn't see the traffic agent go beserk and get into the face of one of the bystanders either. And I guess you didn't see witnesses right there who saw it all. You're just blind.

  • Spirit of 76

    Traffic agents aren't punching bags.



    When was she punched? I didn't see that in the video. Why wasn't the man charged with assault? Just shoving a traffic agent would be grounds enough for that charge if he had done that as you claim.

  • valeriob

    timmmmaaay!

  • Gbutters

    Wow Felix,



    It's pretty clear that you believe some races can play the race card and some cannot. I wonder what you would say if the cop was chinese and made comments the other way around... I guarantee you Sharpton would be marching on that.

    Maybe the Chinese are not high enough on the racial hierarchy to complain...



  • felixthecat2

    I didn't hear any comments since the video has no audio. What comments are you referring to? I don't care about either one's race but it is obvious that he interfered with her job and he hit her scanner first. Should he be excused because he claims she made racists remarks???? I can't help note that we have commenters on this site that obviously hate blacks. What does Al Sharpton have to do with this story????

  • Gbutters

    Well you mentioned the race card and it's obvious you got a chip on your shoulder. If you don't care about race-- that comment wouldn't have been made. There were witnesses of the remark and that would have caused a sh%t storm if directed to other minority groups.... that's what Al Sharpton has to do with it... As far as commentators that hate blacks, I'm not one of them. In fact I stand for equality amongst all minorities, not just one kind. The situation was messed up and it was an issue of a meter-maid taking advantage of us as citizens and that was wrong. The guy had proof of his time on his ticket and I hope he does get reimbursed for the BS situation that the meter-maid put him through.

  • felixthecat2

    What proof? How do you know he had one minute remaining on his ticket? You can't tell from this video and was he really waiting for his wife to buy a ticket or was it BS? I don't know. I didn't mention the race card, this story is titled "Racist Assault". Just because she is black doesn't mean it is an Al Sharpton issue. How do you know that she even supports him? Just because she is BLACK??? This man had NO right to interfere with her job and no right to strike her scanner. Yes, she behaved quite unprofessionally afterwards. However I don't see this as a RACE ISSUE but as a guy who didn't want to be ticketed and an agent who overreacted to his interference.

  • valeriob

    See comment (14) you racist little piece of shit.

  • hotstepper

    well played.

  • valeriob

    sorry for feeding the troll everyone

  • felixthecat2

    Valeriob, you are quite clearly a racist - your open contempt for Ms Woods and her literary work, and the fact that you condone racial discrimination by nightclubs.



    So why not be honest about your racism?



    Look, you hate Black people - I'm not sure why (ignorance, fear, stupidity - or maybe you just uncritically learned the racism of your parents) but gut up and just admit that you hate my race.



    In your heart, you know I'm right!

  • valeriob

    Gregory Butler wrote exactly that here. You copy+pasted it.

  • felixthecat2

    If you knew anything about politics than you know that John Liu is the Asian Al Sharpton. http://gothamist.com/2006/12/11/liu_vs_rosie.php

  • Gbutters

    Not even close.... Lui has got a bit to learn from ole Sharp. But wouldn't it be nice if Lui and Sharpton and other race leaders all got together to play the race card instead of people just looking out for their own...

  • felixthecat2

    true but LIU and Sharpton play the race card to further their own careers and pockets. They really don't care about the people.

  • Gbutters

    And that's my point... the race card is BS but if one group can play it.... all groups should be able to... I personally think it needs to held in restraint...I think all race leaders are douchy in some way, but they do come through sometimes when it counts.



    He sums it up best.

    http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-october-6-2009/playing-the-race-card

  • felixthecat2

    LOL, yep I seen that skit and it was hilarious!!!!! LOVED IT. Yes, the race card can be abused by people who want to mitigate their own misdoings and/or avoid responsibility. This is why I based my opinions on the situation and not the person's race. I have been insulted by few associates who called me a race traitor for not agreeing with them. Morality has NO color. I am no fan of John Liu but I have no negative feelings towards the Asian community. I just felt that he shouldn't have interfere with her job but she did react unprofessionally. It only made her and other agents look bad. I suggest some Anger Management classes for her.

  • felixthecat2

    Liu's racist video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktDOS9DXlvQ



    John Liu's fake sweat shop ads was the icing to the cake.

  • longacre

    Racial attack by a black woman on a Chinese man whose name sounds like "Mr. Jew." Only in New York, kids.

  • Mr. Shankly

    Jeet jet? No, jew?

  • felixthecat2

    He put his hand on her scanner. you can see that on the video. Neither one had any visible injuries so it is consider harassment.

  • Spirit of 76

    Which is it? First you say he hit her and now you're saying he just put his hand on her scanner?

  • felixthecat2

    WATCH THE VIDEO, why ask me. It is there for you to view.

  • Mr. Shankly

    Lovely Twana, metermaid, where would I be without you?

    Give us a wink and make me think of you.

  • Dwayne Hoover

    If he "hit her first" he would've been certainly charged with assault. And strangely, he wasn't!

  • felixthecat2

    Actually per this video he hit her first and prevented her from doing her job regardless if he agreed with her or not.

  • suepart

    No race card necessary, this was pretty obvious. Zhu should sue the city and get his millions.

  • Clarice City

    Or a billion? He was assaulted after all.

  • Spirit of 76

    He won't get millions. Five figures at most. But remember that this will come out of pockets of taxpayers including you and me, so don't be so quick to encourage a lawsuit.

  • felixthecat2

    Waiting for John Liu to play the race card.

  • peanuthead

    while its obvious, i must ask, how many effing agents does it take to do this damn job? there appear to be at least 3 or 4 in the surveillance tape. sheesh!

  • Kojak

    As asinine the traffic agent's actions may be, it was also his mistake of shoving away the agent's scanner. He instigated things as well.



    Just don't touch them. They can get very bitchy.

  • hotstepper

    thuglife, coming to a precinct near you!

  • Dwayne Hoover

    Too bad the crowd didn't beat that bitch senseless with her scanner. Whatever happened to the good old mob mentality takeover??

  • TrippinJoJo

    then al sharpton call out "RACISTS"

  • grandzu

    That is not a cop.

    I always thought if there was someway to make your barcode illegible to the scanner, you would never get a ticket since those agents will move on rather than enter in all that info manually or correctly.

blog comments powered by Disqus

send a tip

tips@gothamist.com