New Video Surfaces In Washington Heights Police Brawl: Reports

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — New video of a brawl where two men squared off with NYPD transit officers in the middle of a Washington Heights street has surfaced days after the altercation, according to reports.

The video, which appears to be taken by a police body camera, shows the moments before Aaron Grissom, 36, and Sidney Williams, 37, came to blows with officers outside of the West 168th Street and Broadway subway station, the Daily News reported.

Both men refuse transit officers' demands to move 100 feet from the subway entrance with both sides exchanging profanities, according to the new video. One of the officers then attempts to grab one of the men without giving any verbal warning or instructing the man he's under arrest. When the man flinches and raises his hands, the officer appears to throw the punch that sets off the brawl, according to video obtained by the Daily News.

Initial video of the fight drew widespread coverage among New York City media outlets last week and prompted NYPD Internal Affairs to investigate the officers involved. The first video did not show the lead-up to the fight, but instead started when officers began to hit Grissom and Williams with their metal police batons.

Video of the altercation taken by witnesses shows the men engaged in a verbal dispute with officers in the middle of the street. The police officers strike first, hitting one of the men over the head at least three times with a metal baton, according to the video.

The second man, wearing a white jacket, then rushes an officer and the two end up wrestling on the ground by a parked car, according to the video. Several other police officers rush to the cop's aid and begin raining baton strikes down on the man while he's on the ground. A plainclothes officer rushes over and gets a few kicks in on the man as well, according to the video.

NYPD Internal Affairs is investigating the altercation, a police spokesman said. The police officers who attempted to initiative the arrest were injured and were treated and discharged from an area hospital, police said.

Police officials claimed it was Grissom and Williams who first became violent with cops after refusing to leave the area near the subway entrance, police said.

"The males refused to comply and when officers moved to initiate arrest, they resisted and one of the males attempted to punch the officers. During the attempt to subdue and take the offenders into custody, two detectives and an off-duty police officer came to the assistance of the uniformed officers," an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement following the initial video release.

Both Grissom and Williams are facing charges for assault, resisting arrest and menacing, police said. Both men were treated at St. Luke's Hospital for treatment following their arrests. Police said the two men were involved in a similar incident with police in December at the same subway station.

See the new video and full Daily News report here.

Lead photo by Patch