NYC Councilmember Who Bit Cop Has Charges Dismissed

NEW YORK CITY — A New York City council member who bit a police officer during a migrant shelter protest last July has had charges against her dismissed.

Susan Zhuang, 39, who represents the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Borough Park and Dyker Heights, faced second and third-degree assault, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration charges in connection to the July 2024 incident.

She had pled not guilty to those charges.

The charges seem to have been dismissed through a restorative justice process which included a meeting with NYPD officials, Gothamist reported.

Initially after the protest, Zhuang accused police officers of “brutality” when they attempted to arrest her, allegedly pulling her hair and grabbing her neck."

That's when she allegedly bit Deputy Chief of Patrol Frank DiGiacomo in the arm.

"Police brutality is wrong, the misuse of enforcement is wrong," she said at the time.

Zhuang contested she was helping an elderly woman who "had become stuck under a barricade," Patch previously reported.

The protest happened at 25th Avenue and 86th Street in Bensonhurst. Individuals were protesting a proposed men's shelter.

In a statement to 1010WINS, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said: “It was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant’s willingness to make amends. This is exactly what restorative is meant to do—address harm, foster understanding, and support a path forward.”

Zhaung told Gothamist she was looking forward to working with the NYPD after the charges were dropped.