Man Who Doused Cops With Water In Harlem Arrested, Police Say

HARLEM, NY — A man is facing assault charges for throwing water on police officers in Harlem months after a video of the incident provoked widespread outrage among New York City politicians and law enforcement officials.

Darnell Hillard, 21, was arrested this week at his Harlem home and hit with charges such as assault, rioting, harassment, disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration, police said. Hillard was one of several men seen throwing water on cops making an arrest in a Harlem intersection in July, police said.

The water throwing in Harlem occurred when two officers responded to a "disorderly group" near a fire hydrant, police said. When police chased the group away from the area, they recognized a man wanted on an open warrant and attempted to arrest him. During the arrest people began throwing water on the officers, and one man threw a plastic bucket, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said in July.

More videos of police having water thrown at them in Brooklyn and the Bronx were posted to social media following the Harlem video's release. Monahan described the actions shown in the videos as "reprehensible."

"NYC's cops & communities have made remarkable progress — together — but EVERY New Yorker MUST show respect for our cops. They deserve nothing less," Monahan said in a statement posed to Twitter.

Videos of the dousings were viewed hundreds of thousands of times and made national news. Vice President Mike Pence even took to Twitter to call the behavior "disgraceful." In the wake of the incidents, three Republican state legislators proposed a law that would make throwing water on police officers a felony.

Hillard is the third person to be arrested for throwing water on police in Harlem, police said.