Update:
NEW YORK (CBS) ― 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. 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.
Craig Radhuber was taking part in the ride, and witnessed the incident. “And the one spun around, saw a bicyclist and grabbed him off his bicycle. And then the other policeman jumped on top of him and the two were wrestling, wrestling this guy down trying to arrest him,” he told CBS 2. Radhuber had not yet seen the video until CBS 2 showed it to him. “Wow!” he said watching it for the first time. “I was so upset when I saw this thing happen.” 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.
Here’s a clue to the idiot cop: Cameras are EVERYWHERE MORON, and they can be used against you too! The fact that they can charge the rider with assault just shows how corrupt the system is.
Found by Pete.
Something to consider: I’m not saying the cop did exactly this but its possible…
I’m a cop in jersey. There are plenty of times ive been on foot, directing traffic for pedestrians and someone (bicyclist or vehicle) ignores MY commands and I used the radio to contact an officer farther down and ask him to stop the violator. Its highly possible the bicyclist ignored another cop directing the traffic for pedestrians or vehicles, possibly hurting someone or coming close to doing so, or even ignoring another cops commands off camera. there are a lot of unanswered questions here, far too many for anyone to be forming a lynch mob to have the cop fired and put in jail. the fact the cop was placed on some sort of leave doesnt mean anything, its policy during an investigation to please the masses. The criminal mass bikers have a blatant disregard for all rules of the road. It wouldnt surprise me in the slightest to hear that he did something truly deserving of the cops actions.
however. Some depts. hire assholes. I work with a few.
also. No one would ever get jail time for that. Ever. grow up.
This is not so unusual, except perhaps being on video. Another incident: http://www.mediastudy.com/articles/av6-20-02.html
Oops. This is the one I meant to link. http://www.coalitionagainstpoliceabuseandracism.com/00003.shtml
UPDATE:
MYFOXNY.COM — The New York Police Department has stripped a police officer of his badge and gun after a video posted on YouTube showed him body-checking a bicyclist who was part of a well-known monthly bike ride through the city.
It’s really amazing how the citizens of NY are totally outraged over the cops actions as opposed to the cyclists. I am guessing those that live there are more in tune with what really happens in their own city. I expected the comments to be worse about cyclists than here and it winds up being almost completely in support of the cyclist at a huge margin.Maybe there is still hope for sanity in the big apple.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/police-investigate-officer-in-critical-mass-video/?scp=1&sq=critical%20mass&st=cse
57-
But this guy wasn’t blocking a side street, he was simply enjoying his freedom to use the street like every normal citizen, when, for no reason, this ‘cop’ (I quote it because he’s isn’t a good one like a vast majority are) took it upon himself to throw him to the ground, potentially causing the rider serious harm.
Look, guy, disagree with the politics of the ride all you want, but to sit there and condone this behavior from police is sheer lunacy.
Good to see that you’re for even more violence…I guess $4+ a gallon for gas is making those trips in your ridiculous SUV harder to do, and that makes you cranky, because you can’t show off to the neighbors how ‘successful’ you are?
Of course we all now the outcome. The cyclist will go to jail and the policeman will be cleared. The judge will ignore this video and the media will not care about it.
from NY Daily News: “Rookie cop in hot water after video shows him slamming biker”
“…The damning video not only revealed an out-of-the-blue attack but also seems to show Pogan lied about the incident in court papers… In court documents, Pogan said he saw Long weaving in and out of lanes and obstructing traffic before he ordered the cyclist to stop. The cop claimed Long deliberately drove his bike into him, sending both of them falling to the ground. Pogan claimed to have suffered cuts from the impact.
The video clearly shows Long trying to dodge Pogan, who appears to have remained upright the entire time… Long, of Bloomfield, N.J., was arrested and charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His lawyer David Rankin said ‘the video speaks for itself’ and said he may sue…”
Cell phone video cameras + YouTube gives new meaning to the classic protest chant, “The whole world is watching.”
http://tinyurl.com/6y2o7z
First the pen, and now the video camera, proving themselves mightier than the sword.
More BS from the NYPD.
Same old, same old.
Smile, you’re on candid camera! I’m suprised the new camera phones have not picked up more of this.
I wouldn’t want to drive a bus in New York let alone a bike.
God, I hate these freaks. I don’t like the idea of the cops actions but if it had to happen to someone I’m glad it was one of the Critical Mass participants.
I live in Montreal and do not own a car but still have had to deal with this crap. Montreal is a VERY bike friendly city. I’m not sure what it is they have to protest.
This groups message seems to be “We ride bikes. Fuck You, you’re going to be late for work”
When you watch these groups pass through town, it’s clear that they are nothing but a group of assholes, greatly enjoying being assholes.
All thins said the critical mass disruptive rides have brought awareness to the plight of cyclists in nyc streets. In the 35 years I have been cycling in New York, it has only been recently that the city has been putting in bike lanes. There everywhere now, and some are actually painted green.
I was born and raised in New York City, Manhattan, and I clearly remember bike lanes in the city going back to the mid 1960’s. If you ride the bike lanes, obey the traffic control signals and follow the flow of traffic you have no problems. What Critical Mass is doing is illegal and dangerously stupid. Without knowing what that bike rider in the video did, and we can’t know by looking at that video, we can’t pass judgment on the cop. Someone here said the bike rider sprayed pedestrians with pepper spray. My feeling is the cop might have seen the bike rider do something that triggered the cop to react. We’ll have to wait to find out.
What a bunch of budding fascists we have here. “Fuck peaceful protesters who violate any of our benevolent, sacrosanct laws; I hope the police arrest/assault/kill every one of them!”
For all the bitching that gets done on here about the government, you’d think people would be supportive of someone trying to change things. But no, in spite of everything that is ranted about here people are perfectly content with the status quo. If anyone or anything is going to change they certainly don’t want it to be in their backyard.
#74 ““Fuck peaceful protesters who violate any of our benevolent, sacrosanct laws;”
Peaceful protesting doesn’t include breaking traffic laws thus putting others lives at risk.
Try again.
I’m usually against this type of police action, but in the case of Critical Mass, I’ll make an exception.
Based on my first-hand experience with Critical Mass, fuck them very much. Bunch of assholes.
There just has to be, it seems, 35 different camera angles of this hideous event. Pogan is going down and he’s not even going to have the decency to own up to reality. And this video is from an almost perfect angle.
#73. Even presented with video evidence proving the cop to be a liar, you still want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Unbelievable, I hope you never get jury duty.
#78. What I see in that video is two cops quietly watching bikers roll by. In fact, I see one biker closely roll past the cop which the cop ignores. I see the cop’s attention get captured by “someone” off camera who apparently turns out to be the “clown” which the cop pushed to the ground. I’d like to see any available video of what that biker was doing which caught the attention of the cop in the first place and not just what the cop did. There’s at least two sides to every story.
I see more and more evidence, even in my suburban town, that the police look upon the general populace as the enemy.
#79, Miss,
Who said there was anything that happened off camera? The cop claimed the bicyclist tried to run him over.
Yes there are two sides. The cop has been shown to have lied with his side. Now what are you waiting for?
#81 Mr, Now what are YOU waiting for? I want to know what the biker did that caught the attention of the cop in the first place. Can you answer that with absolute certainty? No? Then wait until all the facts and lies are in before you come to a conclusion.
#26 Mister Mustard,
Guess I’ve missed the rest of this thread. Minneapolis sounds nice. I’m sticking with NYC though. Perhaps I’m just stubborn. NYC has a lot of other things to offer than just our wonderful subway system that moves 3.5 megapeople a day.
We have the same issue in Seattle. The “crazed bikers” assaulted a driver the last time they did this. The news reporters are now blaming the police dept for not doing anything to stop this.
As bad as what the cop did, I am more struck by the fact that bikes have no place in crowded cities.
The bicyclers in the video all drove like crap.
#82, Miss,
There was nothing that happened prior to the take down that warranted this act. Maybe if you had of read the article first before jumping to a conclusion that the cop didn’t do anything.
[the biker] was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
The cop should be charged with aggravated assault, perjury and both cops tossed from the force. The power of the video camera has once again brought shame upon another cop and cost the city a fortune.
Was the officer an idiot? Yes. If he’s going with the excuse and with the current information, he deserves the punishment he got, and maybe some more. That said, odds are we will never hear the full incident.
I do feel there is more to the story than what we know though. Critical Mass are known as entrapment experts. They take video on every ride, but because they don’t get permits yet act like it’s a parade (in other words, they should be unobstructed) they are bound to collide with someone or have a fight with a motorist. Incidents of shoving bikes under a moving motor vehicle so they can swarm the occupants are not unheard of. They then take their video, edit out all displays of provocation and post it so they seem like the victims.
Now forming in a city near YOU!
Critical Hit — an activist group for concerned citizens to take action against the hooligans and miscreants who are Critical Mass!
First on the agenda:
We infiltrate the groups, and gather intel. Setup ambushes and traps along the routes!
Set them up with actors on video portraying both CM and “victims”.
#87, Lord,
That said, odds are we will never hear the full incident.
Then please inform us plebeians what else the biker did to warrant the cop’s actions.
Since when does someone require a permit to ride a bike down the street?
Critical mass is a terrorist organization! They should all be clubbed like baby seals!