Cops Attacked With Bricks Stashed Across NYC, NYPD Chief Claims

NEW YORK, NY — NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday that stacks of bricks left in Brooklyn are evidence of an "orchestrated attack" being launched on police officers in New York City, but a local lawmaker cast doubt on the claim after visiting the site where the supplies were dumped.

Shea retweeted video of police officers confiscating boxes of the bricks — which appear completely untouched otherwise — left on a desolate street corner on Avenue X with the caption: "This is what our cops are up against: Organized looters, strategically placing caches of bricks & rocks at locations throughout NYC."

Protests in Brooklyn, which city officials such as Mayor Bill de Blasio have said have been overwhelmingly peaceful, have been centered on the Barclay's Center and surrounding neighborhoods on the other side of the borough. Looters have been raiding businesses in SoHo, Midtown and parts of The Bronx, according to city and police officials.

No major demonstrations have occurred close to where the boxes of bricks were found in South Brooklyn.

Local City Councilmember Mark Treyger said Wednesday that he visited the site where the bricks were left, which is right next to a construction site.

"Could be evidence of a developer breaking law since phase 1 hasn’t begun, but there was no evidence of organized looting on X last night that I’m aware of," Treyger said in a Twitter post.

The commissioner doubled down on the statements when asked to provide context to the video during Mayor Bill de Blasio's Wednesday press conference.

"If anyone is questioning what is happening your head is either in the sand or you're not paying attention," Shea said Wednesday. "There is an orchestrated attack, specifically on members of law enforcement across the country, and we are seeing it unfortunately alive and well in New York City."

Other than blaming "criminals" with goals of taking advantage of peaceful protesters, Shea did not offer evidence as to who left the bricks in Brooklyn or how they got there. The police commissioner did say that a similar stash was also found in Queens and that bricks were recently stolen from a Manhattan construction site.

Shea cited incidents where police have been targeted with bricks, water bottles filled with cement and Molotov cocktails as evidence of the attacks. The police commissioner blamed criminal elements attempting to take advantage of peaceful protests against police brutality and racism in the wake of the police killing of Minneapolis Man George Floyd for these attacks.

Police officers have also been seen taking aggressive action against peaceful protesters, using pepper spray and batons to break up large groups of demonstrators, according to reporters and protesters posting video on social media.

Journalists with the Associated Press also found themselves targeted by New York City police officers while covering protests on Tuesday night. Video take by journalist Robert Bumsted shows more than a half-dozen officers confronting him and photojournalist Maye-E Wong as they reported from Fulton and Broadway shortly after New York's 8 p.m. curfew took effect.

In shocking videos posted on Twitter Saturday night, two NYPD vehicles can be seen plowing through a crowd of protesters who were pelting the cruisers and pushing barricades into them in Brooklyn. It's unclear if anyone was injured. The night before, a woman was hospitalized for a concussion and seizures after being violently shoved while protesting peacefully in Brooklyn. Elected officials have called for the officer involved to be fired.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an investigation into actions both by protesters and police officers over the weekend.

Large, peaceful protests, vigils and marches have been organized throughout New York City's five boroughs every day since Thursday. New York City officials instituted an 11 p.m. curfew, which was moved to 8 p.m. and extended through the week, after luxury stores in Soho, including Chanel, Gucci and Bloomingdales, were ransacked on Sunday night.