NYPD cop loses badge and gun after cyclist assault.

[spindrift]

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View: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d4b_1217277214

NEW YORK (CBS) %u2015 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."
Critical Mass sponsors monthly bike rides in New York and other cities to bring attention to bike ridership, ironically, to make city streets safer for cyclists.
Radhuber has participated in numerous such rides through the city and says the animosity on the part of police towards Critical Mass has increased.
"I've never seen it like this before. This actually surprised me," he said. "It makes me not trust the police at all. It makes me very angry."
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.
He'll make an appearance in court on August 5.

 

[Riding in Circles]

It is odd that the cop would aim for that one particular cyclist like that, the cop has to charged with assault after seeing that video, there does not seem to have been any verbal between them either, the cop just seems to have picked someone at random. How the cyclist can be charged with anything is a farce.

 

[spindrift]

Watching carefully the cyclist is swerving to avoid the cop rather than aim at him. The cop's version is a crock.

 

[Riding in Circles]

Watching carefully the cyclist is swerving to avoid the cop rather than aim at him. The cop's version is a crock.

I did watch it carefully, the cyclist sees the cop in plenty of time and swerves to go around him before the cop attacks him.

 

[spindrift]

That's why "attempted assault" is freaking insane.

 

[HLaB]

IMO the cop had made up his mind that he was heading to the kerb and he wasn't stopping no matter what was in his way. If he had given way just a litttle, as the cyclist swerved the whole thing wouldn't of happened. What a stupid thing to put your job on the line for.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

But he deliberately increased his stride and moved over faster to make sure he got the cyclist. From my reading of the situation, I reckon he was building up rage not being able to do anything about these 'irritating' cyclists and snapped when he got an opportunity to take out his frustration.

 

[spindrift]

The cyclist could have landed on a pram or elderly person on the pavement. How the flip they can consider those charges against the cyclist is beyond me.

Witnesses challenged Officer Pogan’s account of the incident.
One cyclist, Craig Radhuber, 54, said he was a few feet behind Mr. Long, whom he said he did not know. He said Officer Pogan “body-slammed this kid off the bicycle so hard that he went from the lane to the curb.”
“I went over to yell at the police when another officer came and asked me to move back,” Mr. Radhuber said.
Mr. Radhuber said Mr. Long had not been weaving in traffic, as Officer Pogan alleged. “There was no traffic behind us — there was no traffic to weave in and out of,” Mr. Radhuber said. “The police officer looked to see who he was going to pick off.”
Bill DiPaola, a director of Time’s Up, said he arrived just after Mr. Long went down. “He got up and was dazed,” he said, referring to Mr. Long. Then, referring to Officer Pogan and the other officer in the video, he said, “They put their knees on top of his head and were smashing him into a phone booth.”
A lawyer for Mr. Long, Mark Taylor, said the cyclist had been “assaulted by the police.” He said Mr. Long, who was bruised but not hospitalized, was not available for interviews. “We believe the video speaks for itself,” he said, adding that he hoped the Manhattan district attorney’s office would drop the charges against Mr. Long.
Norman Siegel, a civil rights lawyer who represented Time’s Up in 2006, said he had been asked by its leaders to look at the video. He said it “shows unacceptable illegal behavior by this particular police officer.”
“Unfortunately, it’s another example of how the N.Y.P.D. has targeted without justification the Critical Mass bike riders,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/nyregion/29critical.html?ref=nyregion

 

[BentMikey]

That video is pretty bad for the cop, though my bet is he'll just get a light slap on the wrist and that's all.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Well if a bunch of cops can be found innocent for beating the crap out of Rodney King then what hope does this guy have? Other than being white?

 

[Graham O]

According to one of the comments on the site below the video, it states that the cyclist had "assaulted" another police officer early in the day, so perhaps, this officer's actions, although perhaps heavy handed, are not random. Certainly, he does appear to be moving with some purpose. I'm not justifying knocking him off the bike, but the video may only show part of the whole story.

 

[GrahamG]

It's bad but knowing the kind of antagonistic buggers that tend to get involved in CM, I would hesitate to accept that the whole story is being presented here.

 

[davidtq]

It's bad but knowing the kind of antagonistic buggers that tend to get involved in CM, I would hesitate to accept that the whole story is being presented here.

I have nothing to do with Critical Mass and never seen one but what part of riding a bike justifies a police officer assaulting a cyclist then falsifying his reports, making up this version of events:-

Pogan arrested Long for attempted assault in the third degree, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct - charges that kept the Bloomfield, NJ, man behind bars for 26 hours before his release late Saturday.

Adding insult to injury, the criminal complaint drafted by Pogan bears little resemblance to what was witnessed by onlookers and recorded on video.

In court papers, Pogan claimed that he wanted to issue Long a summons for failing to keep right, and then ordered Long to stop
The cop accused Long of purposely swerving his bicycle to block traffic and then using it as a weapon to run down the officer, knocking him off his feet and causing a "laceration" on his forearm.

"You are pawns in the game. I'm going to have your job," Long told Pogan, as he flailed and kicked his arms and legs, according to the complaint

The police officer is lieing his ass off in his official reports - bent copper

3rd generation officer 3 weeks out of the academy, apparantly his dad is proud of him, and has a problem with cyclists "taking over the streets"

"He's my son. I'm proud of him. He's third-generation that's been serving the city," said Pogan Sr., 51, who was at home in Massapequa Park, LI, yesterday and said he had not seen the video. "These people are taking over the streets and impeding the flow of traffic. Then you gotta do what you gotta do."

I dont see that someone riding their bike no matter what wally ideas they are supporting whilst doing so justifies police brutality and falsified evidence. If someone is genuinely braking the law arrest them for that crime... Assault and false statements from a police officer are far more cause for public concern than a protester on a bike.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

I dont see that someone riding their bike no matter what wally ideas they are supporting whilst doing so justifies police brutality and falsified evidence. If someone is genuinely braking the law arrest them for that crime... Assault and false statements from a police officer are far more cause for public concern than a protester on a bike.

well put!

 

[magnatom]

I'm no fan of critical mass myself. I think it just serves to antagonise in my opinion. However, the actions of that cop are appalling! He could have quite easily killed that cyclist had he hit his head badly on the ground!

Being charged with attempted assault is a complete joke! That was a very serious assault, there was no 'attempt' to it!!

Thank goodness there was a camera there!