The plainclothes NYPD officer seen punching a teen suspect repeatedly during an arrest has been pulled from duty. The video below shows the confrontation between the cop and the 16-year-old, who was later charged with gang assault:
The teen and two others, ages 16 and 17, are accused of attacking a 20-year-old with a cane on Madison Street in the Lower East Side earlier this week. The Post reports that the trio "had an ongoing dispute with the victims, sources said." The victim was hospitalized.
City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, who represents the district where the incident took place, said:
Upon seeing this video, I was very disturbed by what appears to be an excessive use of force by a plainclothes police officer. My staff reached out to the NYPD in order to confirm the details reported in the media about this incident, which took place in my district this past Monday. I commend the NYPD for taking swift action to suspend the plainclothes officer shown in the video, as well as beginning an internal investigation into his actions during the incident. I also want to make it clear that it is apparent to me that the uniformed officers shown in the video were correctly protecting and serving the public by taking the proper steps in responding to a 911 call and arresting suspects. Regarding the actions of the plainclothes officer and the NYPD internal investigation into his actions, my staff and I will be following the case very closely.
The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the officer. The Post adds, "The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute and a spokeswoman declined to say why. However, the decision was made days before the video became public and had nothing to do with the officer’s actions, sources said."
