Charges 'Expected' Against Cops In Violent E Village Arrest: NYPD

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Police officers involved in a violent social distancing arrest in the East Village this month will face department discipline following an internal investigation, NYPD officials announced Friday.

An internal investigation into May 2 arrests at the corner of Avenue D and East 9th Street concluded this week and police are expected to announce "charges" against the officers involved sometime next week, police officials said.

"The internal investigation is recommending discipline for several members of the Department involved in the incident. Charges are expected as early as next week," an NYPD statement reads. "New York State law prescribes the process for these disciplinary proceedings. The Department will adhere to the law, ensure due process for all involved and go wherever the facts take us."

The NYPD statement did not offer specific information regarding the charges that cops will face, and did not identify police officers involved. An NYPD spokesperson clarified that the statement refers to departmental charges, not criminal charges.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's office told Patch that the office is currently conducting an "independent review of this incident."

The NYPD launched its internal investigation into the May 2 arrests after videos showed police officers throwing people up against walls and to the ground, threatening onlookers with tazers and then tackling and punching a bystander in the head. The video contradicted initial police statements regarding the arrests.

Police approached a group of people on Avenue D near East Ninth Street around 5:30 p.m. to disperse the crowd accordance with New York's social distancing measures, NYPD spokeswoman Mary Frances O'Donnell said in a statement in early May. As officers — many of whom were not wearing masks over their faces — walked toward the group they saw an "open bag of marijuana" and one man who refused to disperse became aggressive with cops the spokeswoman said.

Security camera footage that captured the initial arrests shows that the man and women were standing together on the side of the street, not in a large group, when cops first approached them. Police first grab the woman, pinning her arms behind her back and pushing her against the wall of a storefront, according to the video. The man, who is sitting on a stoop, then smacks away the hand of an officer trying to grab him, prompting three cops to push him against a wall. While the man is being arrested, the woman is thrown to the ground by a police officer, according to the video.

As the two are being arrested, a third man approaches the police, according to another video of the arrest posted to social media. The police officer who initially grabbed the woman, approaches the man with his taser pointed and yells: "Move the f--- back right now!" and "What you flexin' for?" as the taser clicks. The cop then holsters the taser, tackles the man to the ground and punches him several times in the body and face, according to the video.

The East Village arrests started a conversation about unequal enforcement of social distancing rules against New Yorkers of color, with some likening the new policies to a new form of stop and frisk. Videos of violent arrests in Brooklyn and elsewhere in the city mostly feature people of color facing police attention over social distancing.

The videos contrast with widely-circulated photos of police apparently giving a more hands-off approach — except when they handed out masks — to mostly-white park goers elsewhere in the city.

Data released by the NYPD in early May showed that 80 percent of social distancing summonses were written against people of color. Out of 374 summonses issued between March 16 and May 5, 193 went to Black New Yorkers and 111 to Hispanic New Yorkers, according to the NYPD's own numbers.

Coronavirus In NYC: Latest Happenings And Guidance

Email PatchNYC@patch.com to reach a Patch reporter or fill out this anonymous form to share your coronavirus stories. All messages are confidential.