Bodycam Footage Of Harlem Cop Punching Woman Released Amid Outrage

HARLEM, NY — Police on Thursday released body camera footage showing a police detective punching a young woman on a Harlem street days earlier, as the department said it was investigating an incident blasted by many as an act of brutality.

The roughly minute-long video shows the Tuesday afternoon scuffle on West 136th Street near Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard, which began as police were arresting 22-year-old Elvin James in connection with an unspecified investigation, police said.

As a group of officers lead James in handcuffs away from his apartment building, 19-year-old Tamani Crum — identified by the Daily News as James's girlfriend — walks up and appears to shout, "What's the problem?"

One cop, identified by authorities as Detective Kendo Kinsey, grabs Crum by the arm and tries to pull her away from James. After Crum shouts "Don't f---ing touch me" and pushes Kinsey away, Kinsey punches Crum in the face, sending her flying backward to the sidewalk as onlookers yell in anger.

"Why would you do that?" one man shouts in a now-viral video taken by an onlooker, as Kinsey lifts Crum from the ground and places her in handcuffs.

Crum did not lose consciousness but was taken to a hospital at her request, police said Thursday.

"Deeply saddened"

As the footage has gone viral, criticism of the use of force has mounted, including from Harlem City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, who said in a statement that "There is no reason for a resident that hasn't committed a crime to be treated like a criminal."

"I am deeply saddened by the [excessive] force," she added.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell NYPD released her own statement along with the body camera footage on Thursday, alleging that James had been carrying an illegal "ghost gun" in his waistband as officers took him into custody.

"The NYPD officers removed yet another illegal firearm – and the person brazen enough to carry it in public – from the streets of our city," Sewell said. "This incident, including the conduct of the officer who used force, is under ongoing review by our Internal Affairs Bureau’s Force Group."

Sewell expedited the release of the body-camera footage, which will be reviewed alongside other footage and witness statements as part of the NYPD's internal investigation.

Kinsey declined to comment when reached by the Daily Beast. Based out of Harlem's 32nd Precinct, records show Kinsey has faced 13 prior misconduct complaints, of which two were substantiated: an incident of discourteous language in 2011, and abuse of authority in 2015, for which he faced internal discipline.

Crum was arraigned Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing governmental administration, after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office dropped more serious charges of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, the Daily News reported.

The Manhattan D.A.'s Police Accountability Unit is also reviewing the incident, a spokesperson told Patch.

Besides Crum, a 27-year-old woman who lives steps from the site of the brawl was also arrested and charged with assaulting an officer, while a 26-year-old woman was issued a summons for spitting at an officer, police said.

James, who lives on the block where the fight happened, faces charges that include weapon possession, possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest, prosecutors said. He was arraigned Wednesday and was being held on $300,000 bail.

Crum's grandmother condemned the detective's actions in an interview with the Daily News, saying that her granddaughter weighs just 110 pounds. The Rev. Al Sharpton's Harlem-based National Action Network was also among the chorus blasting Kinsey's conduct.

But Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers not to jump to conclusions, the Daily News reported, while the Detectives Endowment Association union told the newspaper that it was considering filing a civil suit against Crum.