NYPD probes cop in YouTube body-check video

A New York City police officer was stripped of his gun and badge after a video posted on YouTube showed him body-checking a bicyclist during Friday's Critical Mass bicycle ride.

The video (see below), which was shot by a tourist and posted on the video-sharing site Sunday, shows bicyclists whizzing past uniformed officers during the Times Square protest. One officer begins to stride across the street, picking up speed and violently tackling a bicyclist into a crowded sidewalk.

The video sparked an immediate public outcry and led the department to place the officer, identified by several news agencies as Patrick Pogan, 22, on desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

The bicyclist, Christopher Long, 29, was charged with blocking traffic, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assault, prosecutors said.

Critical Mass is a leaderless mass bicycle ride typically held on the last Friday of each month in cities around the world. The event, which originated in San Francisco in 1992, is alternately referred to as a celebration and a protest against automobile-choked streets.

[seth.levy]

I would love to hear what the officer has to say about his actions. Reminds me of this video from earlier this year: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9GgWrV8TcUc

[skillingssucks]

Two entirely different scenarios. The kid in the video you posted got what he deserved.

[skillingssucks]

On the other hand, maybe I spoke too soon. Here's the exact same cop again in another incident caught on tape.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l3Mts9gMGKo&feature=rec-fresh

[tekwiz4u]

I'm not a fan of big brother watchin every move (and I know that it was a pedestrain who shot the video), but good thing it was recorded. What a f 'in d@!# cop!!!

Fire his ass.

[Rants&Raves]

I don't understand this cop vs cyclist thing; are the only citizens worthy of protection those who own 4 wheels instead of 2 ? Harassment of orderly cyclists behaving within the confines of the law is happening more and more, including in Montreal by the Federal Bridge Society police force.

[crumbcak1]

Actually the cyclists, especially the one knocked off his bike, were not behaving withing the confines of the law. In fact they were breaking the law and obstructing traffic by riding in the middle of the street. Also the cyclist seems to try to evade rather then avoid the officer. If all the cyclist did wrong was both commit a moving violation and disobey a lawful order to stop, the use of force is granted to police officers to apprehend that individual.

[Rants&Raves]

@crumbcak1: They obviously give licenses in your State without verifying your understanding of road laws; a cyclist (and, for that matter, so does a horse) has the natural right of way on the public road, you don't. To acquire that same right, you have to buy a license. A bike can use a full lane. They are no more blocking car traffic than cars are blocking cycling traffic.

What annoys me is the apologist nature of your comments; you like the outcome, so you will justify any reasoning, any actions that leads to something your happen to like, as opposed to what is morally just, legal, or even intellectually correct. That, my friend, is the root of corruption. There was 1) no moving violation, and 2) no order to stop.

[michaelo1966]

At 22 years old Pat will have plenty of years to build another career ... after he gets out of jail for assault.

[JoeFox2]

Look carefully at the video. Both cops start to move at exactly the same time. Clearly the rider did something extreme to distinguish himself from the crowd. Having experienced first hand the antics of the critical mass types I can guess that the rider either assaulted a pedestrian as he rode by or damaged a vehicle legally using the street. Both of these are typical tactics of these bozos. Just last week in Seattle they beat out a car's windshield and assaulted the driver. The biggest mistake that the cop made was not using his nightstick.

[Chameleon81]

you are just making assumptions without any convincing proof.

[ProudAmericn]

Liberals have been assaulting America far too long. I support the troops and I suppport this officer who was probably trying to apprehend the suspect.

[grauhund]

You have got to be kidding me. Let's assume the cyclist committed some type of moving violation in the midst of the protest--i.e., "obstructed traffic." (Even that assumption is really pushing it given the manner in which the officer falsified his report about being intentionally ridden down). Such a violation does not even begin to justify the officer's action. Rather than tackle a traffic offender, how 'bout you blow your little police whistle and motion him to the curb like you would an automobile. No one would ever argue that a car blocking traffic ough to be rammed in order to issue a citation. Anyone arguing this is appropriate to nab a cyclist is the same type of filth who thinks its OK to threaten my safety by forcing me off the road as retaliation for the 20 seconds delay in having to wait behind me until it is safe to pass.

Educate yourselves in the law.

[ericbaccounts]

The cops start to move at the same time in the way that they would move if one of them said, "Okay, let's get some dinner." If they had a common objective -- to apprehend a troublemaker -- they would probably have remained intently focused in his direction once they started moving to apprehend him, but the other officer doesn't seem very engaged throughout the whole incident. It's not like it's a guarantee that you're going to catch a bicyclist if you're on foot -- if they were moving with a purpose, both of them would have been involved in trying to make that catch. No, it looks like the bicyclist was pedaling through the officer's larger-than-average personal space, and he felt aggressive about it, and on the spur of the moment he attacked without coordinating with his partner.

[Hawdivman]

wHAT A TOTAL MORON YOU REALLY ARE EH!, no matter what this person may have done, which you dont know only speculate on, there is no justifiable reason for this animal doing that to this cyclist, he could have killed him, would ypou also have condoned a murder, you really are brain dead, night stik, I know where you take the night stick you idiot!

[Trinity7770]

and your an idiot *******. Cops abusing the people that pay there paychecks is how america works. cops are out of control and the people on the street should have beatin that cop till he stopped breathing that peice of human waste. so goto hell. you are just as bad as the people who said, oh the natzi's are just looking for leadership you hitler *****

[Hardeight44]

Wow Ease. Joe is pointing out that you don't all the story. Imagine if this guy on the bike rode by and broke your side mirror. Would you be so quick to judge. You are only seeing half the story with the camera angle.

[joythemechanicalboy]

everybody who rides a bike in a critical mass event is a bozo? you ******* idiot. the seattle incident happened after the driver decided to drive his car over top of someone's bike because he was blocked in. now to be fair, people on bikes shouldn't block drivers in, but as has already been said here, that doesn't give you the right to risk people's lives in order to get wherever you have to go. i've been pushed off of my bike by someone leaning from a moving vehicle only to call the cops and have them tell me there was nothing they could do about it. i completely understand why people would chase down a car and hold the driver until the police arrive.

[myhda]

Clearly you must be a police officer. So you were able to asertain and provide justification for the officer, even though nothing in the video supports your claim. The rider was CLEARLY moving to stay clear of the officer. Nothing the officer did would have suggested he ( or the other officer) had any interest in the rider ... no wave to slow down or stop etc ... That was nothing more than a sneak attack that could have resulted in unjury or death to the rider, not to mention the bystanders on the sidewalk. I only hope the next time this "good cop" uses his night stick, it's on you or someone like you.

[sandonet]

If this doesn't show how important YouTube has become nothing will.

This isn't the first time that the site has helped expose police brutality or catch criminals. It won't be the last. The site gives every person the power to communicate with mass audiences and to use images to convey sometimes powerful messages.

Critics will say that YouTube and the video clip--taken by a tourist--only shows half the story. What was the bicyclist doing before entering the frame? Well, it doesn't matter in one important way. The cop committed a crime by falsifying a report. He said in his arrest report that the bicyclist rammed the officer with his bike and knocked them both down. The video clearly shows that the officer stalked the bicyclist, dashed to reach him and then flung himself into him. It's illegal to write a false report. It's also illegal to commit assault, which is what the officer clearly does in this case. God, that was a cowardly move. The bicyclist is in such a vulnerable position.

I love NY. I respect police in that city. They don't have an easy job, but this thug, who is a third-generation policeman and knows better, belongs behind bars. I apologize for the rant. The comment section is supposed to be for our readers, but this got to me. I hope those who disagree chime in.

[ProudAmericn]

You dont know what the liberal bicycle guywas doing. You think he is the victim? What about the soldiers fighting in Irak so we can have all the oil we need and wont need bicycles clogging up the streets? Your liberal rant against the police will get you in trouble. You have no right assaulting the reputation of an officer who did nothing but his job. If you dont liike it dont ride in the streets where cars belong.

[jattttt]

Why do you speak as if you know what happend just by looking at video from one view point?? How do you know what that bicyclist did?...cops dont just ram people off bikes for no reason...you speculate too much, probably because you are an annoying liberal...speculating why the cop went after that bicyclist gets you nowhere unless you saw what happend prior to that video, which also may be fixed like they are a lot of the time..

[shahnyboy]

Did i read this right... the cop is only 22 yrs old?
That seems like a very young, inexperienced age to be a street cop.
I guess if 18 yr olds can be sent to war then...

Wonder what will be this guy's explanation.

[sandonet]

he already explained what happened in his arrest report. And it conflicts dramatically with the way the situation played out on the video.

[fatcat1111]

@JoeFox2:
You're telling only half the story about what happened in Seattle. The man's car did have its back window broken - after he decided he didn't want to wait 30 seconds for the mass to pass him (he was between two parked cars) and floored it, slamming right in to the main group, running over a woman's leg, nearly dragging one man under his vehicle, and leaving one guy hanging on to his hood while he drove at something between 30 and 35 mph down the block. A crowd chased him down and when stopped at a stop sign they bashed in his window and cut one of his tires.

I commute 30 miles a day by bike in Seattle and don't care for critical mass as it makes most drivers less sympathetic to cyclists. However this isn't about drivers versus cyclists, it's about humanity. Can somebody in their car run down a pedestrian because they didn't use a crosswalk? Anybody who would charge somebody on a bike with their car, no matter how frustrated, needs to have their head checked.

[Vurk]

Fatcat,
Please refrain from false reproting(aka lying). The guy driving the Subaru was exiting a parking lot, became surrounded by the Critical Mass riders, and panicked. His car is a manual transmission, and after being surrounded on all sides by moving bicyclists, he didnt know how to exit the situation and let his foot off the clutch, allowing the car to roll forward into a single cyclist. Who was not injured, nor was the bicycle damaged.

The driver has spent the last couple of days on local TV apologizing for panicking.

That is after he got out of the hospital.

You see, the not-leaders of Seattle Critical Mass took knives out of their backpacks(what cyclist rides with a 4-inch non-folding knife in their backpack?) and sliced open all four tires on the Subaru, smashed the windshield, dented the hood and one fender. When the driver opened the door to get out of the car several member of Critical Mass grabbed him, yanked him out of the car and cracked his skull open with a bike chain and padlock.

If it hadnt been for the drivers girlfriend calling 911, the Critical Mass bicyclists would have left him on the street bleeding and unconscious.

This is what Critical Mass stands for ? Today it is not safe for bicyclists on the streets of Seattle, because of the possibility of four-wheeled vigilantes seeking mis-guided revenge.
Mis-guided or not, four-wheeled vigilantism is going to get some cyclist dead. And it will be Critical Masses fault.

[tekwiz4u]

The cyclist is going to become rich because of this fool. I already know a lawsuit is going to occur, and he'll will definitely get money off this.

Pat is a disgrace to NYPD. But lets not disgrace the whole NYPD for this.

[sarabeth1111]

tekwiz4u
A lawsuit you say? What do you think they'll use for evidence as I seriously doubt that video will ever be permitted in court by a judge as it can not be authenticated and is "tainted". The video was supposedly submitted anonymously to "youtube" but since, the organization "Time's Up!" has claimed that they bought the video for roughly $300 from a mysterious tourist who only permitted them to copy small "snippets". Oh, Hogwash! This "Time's Up!" organization has been in lawsuits with the city for many years now over their involvement in organizing these "Critical Mass" events--although they continue to deny it.

This "mysterious tourist" story sounds really fishy and about the only explanation I can think of is they don't want to admit to having the entire tape because if they did, it could be supeonaed and they would be compelled to produce it! Leaving me to wonder what else is on that tape that they don't want anyone to see?

[BlutoNYC]

I live and work in NYC for over 35 years... NYPD just doesn't pick a guy out of a crowd and tackle them to the floor without a reason. My question is, why that guy? Why not someone else? I think I'll wait for the investigation. Personally I think it's pathetic to jump to a conclusion just on a small clip like that? Whose to say that the black backpack he had on was picked off of a bystander. Do you or anyone know that? No. So how can you automatically assume it's the cops fault? Did you all expect NYPD to pull the cyclist over with a cruiser? I'm sure he was asked to stop as well.

[PaulTwo]

He didn't steal the black backpack off a bystander because that would of been in the police report. The ********* cop lied in the report saying that the biker crashed into him. You see the biker clearly swerve to avoid the office in the clip but he was still brutally tackled. Imagine your face hitting the curb at that speed?

[moikyp]

Typical NYPD, not heroes but absolute trash and losers with ego's that outdo any category know in the US. These cops are hyped up on their importance and the most corrupt PD around, if there is a clean one. Get in an NYPD situation and you will find out. All losers, drunks or roided out attention seekers. The cyclists should have gotten off and kicked the crap out of that trash.

[tppcnet]

Oh really?

Clearly you don't remember the Republican Party Convention dragnest arrests. You know the ones that a judge deemed illegal and ordered the city to pay daily penalties until all arrested were freed.

And if I were a minority I'd tell you other stories about police treatment over the past 35 years But since I'm white, I don't really have personal experience with racial profiling by the NYPD.

[kingbeebuzzin]

Sbalourdes is evidently blind as well as unbelievably stupid. First, the two cops do not start moving at the same time; the cop who commits the assault starts running toward the biker. The other sees this and starts trailing behind him, clearly following his lead. Secondly, if the cyclist had stolen the backpack, I assume the cops would have charged him with that, the person whose backpack was stolen would have come to claim it and file a complaint. Assuming sbalourdes can read, he has seen the news accounts that show what the police did charge him with --not stealing a backpack--did not and, in fact, could not have occurred (swerving in and out to block traffic; riding directly at the cop to hit him; threatening him. As far as "being sure he was asked to stop" sbalourdos should again open his eyes and look. He can see that the cop not only didn't say anything to the guy, he would have given the guy no chance to stop even if he had. If you eve wonder how people like Hitler come to power, look no further than the type of idiot represented by sbalourdos. Hope some NYC cop doesn't take it in his mind to kick sbalourdos's ass for no reason.

[chipper121]

so......why did the cop lie in his report??

[mrsrandall]

To those of you who would defend this cop and his actions, I suggest that you are cowards and lack any integrity.

I say this based of a few undisputed facts:First is that the cyclist did nothing wrong prior to coming into contact with the officer. How do we know this? Simply because the officer DID NOT allege this in the arrest report, which he was obligated to do if he had reason to believe the cyclist committed an offense.
(If he did not believe the cyclist committed an offense he had no justification to stop him.)

Second, the officer stated that the rider ran into him, knocking him (the officer) to the ground. His report was written within hours of the incident. His memory of being knocked to the ground was an obvious LIE. I would be inclined to believed that he believe the cyclist was charging him if he had not LIED, a clear indication that he knew he was in violation of everything entrusted to him.

On top of this he comes from a line of police officers (who defend him) which indicates that he should have known better. But his actions shows that he was a coward for his actions and lacks any integrity for not admitting to his guilt as his law enforcement duty requires.

I've live in New york City for 42 years and have personally witnessed countless incidents similar to this and worst, police abuse and flat out unprovoked attacks mostly against young black males. But no video means it didn't happen.

Why I say you guys lack any integrity? Because you would have us view the cops as if they can do no wrong yet in the same breath claim that they are human too just like the rest of us. You can't have it both ways. Humans do wrong. The uniform doesn't fix flawed people.

Why I say you are cowards? Because everything I just said you know to be true. But instead of stating your true beliefs you try to mask them in this blind faith in the police, regardless of who the actual person is that wears the uniform. You are a coward for not admitting your belief that it's okay for the police to abuse certain segments of the citizenry regardless of the law.

Now for my personal disdain for you and the police you support: The big tragedy here is that the cyclist was not someone you truly love who has a passion for cycling. Who on the spur of the moment decided to join a friend in this bike ride, just for the hell of it. And that there was no fire hydrant there for your love one to go head first into. And that your loved one was not paralyzed for life just so you could explain how that cop was under pressure as you wipe your loved ones ass after feeding them a special meal prepared just for them because eating regular food was no longer an option.

But all is not lost. There are many cops out there like the one in this case and I'm sure you have plenty of loved ones and family members. Perhaps the stars will line up again one day soon.

[tekwiz4u]

@sbalourdos

Then WHY the FALSE REPORT?!

If the report stated that the guy STOLE something and tried to run off with it, then he should've REPORTED it. Two wrongs dont make a right pal.

[BlutoNYC]

There is no stolen backpack. I was simply making a point that the video is inconclusive. I'm sure there is more to the story than just a police officer tackling a bicyclist. We could argue this for weeks and it will get us nowhere.

[masonmoto2]

When will we finally accept that law enforcement has become a criminal enterprise? There is no honor among these cowards. They continue to commit these acts of brutality against the weakest among us and we just stand by and watch. I am raising a young son and unfortunately have to teach him that the greatest threat to his safety is wearing a badge and has been granted a license to kill him. Not in the interest of protecting society, but for the sheer joy of inflict ing pain on others. The emotional disfunction among their ranks is staggering. I remeber when this used to be an honorable profession. Now it is just a bunch of overstimulated thugs. The largest, most violent, most organized and best financ ed street gang in the nation. My God, what have we become?

[tenbosch]

How does relate in anyway to criminal enterprise? You're speaking as though the cop pistol whipped or did something extremely harmful to the bicyclist. In fact, he probably did the least harm to the kid by knocking him off the bike. Also, you're assuming in your post that the biker did nothing wrong. What if he did? How would you have handled the situation. you have a biker coming at you at a decent speed. Your only choice is to knock him off or try and grab him off the bike. Which would have resulted in less injury.

[jattttt]

One word for you................. WHACKO!!!!!

[tenbosch]

We only see the cops actions. How do we know that the bicyclist hadn't done something which triggered the cops response. The cop clearly went after the bicyclist. Besides, it's not like he really hurt the kid anyway. Just knocked him off the bike.

Also, for the bikers and tourists, this is a hoot. For those of us that are trying to get home and/or to work, these bikers are a pain in the a$$. As far as I'm concerned, the biker and many others probably deserve getting bumped off their bikes. Their a nuisance!!!

[Rants&Raves]

@tenbosch: who says that the only vehicles privileged to be on the road are bikes ? When cyclists want to go home, those cars taking 20 times the space of its occupant and clogging up the whole street are a nuisance !

Read the law pal; in most States, pedestrians and cyclists have a natural right to use the way; it is cars who need to buy a special license to acquire that privilege. That's why my car has a plate, and my bike doesn't.

[chash360]

Did you even watch the video? If the bicyclist escaped injury it was only out of luck, not the gentility of the officer. Not to mention the possibility of a bystander getting injured with that action. Prior to the body check, did the officer give a gesture to indicate to the bicyclist to stop? (There are hand signals for traffic control that all street officers are required to know, that bicyclists have to obey too.) Did you hear an order to stop in the audio? Did the officer move urgently as if the bicyclist had commited a crime just off frame? The cop clearly went after the bicyclist in a manner to take the bicyclist by surprise. Even a dumb criminal attempting to escape on bicycle would have ditched the bike in such a vunerable situation if he saw it coming. The bicyclist clearly saw the officer but did not behave in any way to sugguest he had reason to believe the officer was going to do this, where as a criminal would have suspected the officers actions.

[ericbaccounts]

Uh, so you're saying that getting knocked off a bike never results in serious injury? No lost teeth, broken bones, concussions, nothing? That's great news.

[hagosrush]

Tenbosh..wow...your comments truly show how callused the human race has become. what a shame. With global warming as bad as it is, not only is biking helping the planet but it is also healthy. A nuisance...if it was your son or relative that was layed out by an obviously immature and inexperienced officer, i am sure that your reaction would change.

[kenstech_com]

Cops are by nature authoritarian bullies. It's up to the political structure to keep them in check. One of the reasons you have seen so much more police brutality lately is that the political structure DOSEN'T WANT to reign them in. intimidating and terrorizing the population is public policy these days.

The only reason why this cop lost his job is because he was so blatant. Believe me, the powers that be don't give a rip.

ken

[Galaxy5]

There's no action the cyclist could have performed off-frame and while riding that could have justified this action from the police. Anyone who pretends otherwise should have their heads examined - the cop falsified a report when he stated that the cyclist knocked him over - clearly he lied about the rest of the story.

I live near San Francisco, and I'm the difficult position of supporting a "share the road" philosophy with cyclists (of which I am one) and a detractor of the frustrating and pointless critical mass rides that are all too often a way for angry people from all walks of life to vent their frustrations by taking over the streets and "punishing" people in cars. Two wheels or four - just calm down and show a little respect and patience for the other guy. Don't get in each other's way on purpose, don't try to hurt each other.

[T543212345]

well said....

[bpappin]

Of course there is. At the very least, if the cop asked him to stop and he tried to run, the cop is justified in stopping the cyclist.

How would you stop someone traveling at least 15km/h on a bicycle?

[jattttt]

yeah well said....For A FRIKKEN MORON!! so what if he shot someone, or ran someone over?? the cop is never justified then??...thanks for your input..but you need a new brain!..

[kchrisc]

Every one of you is missing something important in the video!

Watch right after the hit/slam a woman and a man pull right up. One of the cops quickly places the rider's bike at the curb where the woman "biker" efficiently grabs it and takes off with it.

This Ride was infiltrated and the slamming of this bicyclist was planned. They had to arrest someone and make them pay in more way than one and this poor bastard was in the wrong Nazi place at the wrong Nazi time.

Watch it again--watch the woman "rider!"

[Rants&Raves]

@kchrisc: So, the guy's friend takes his bike to make sure it won't get stolen; you don't leave an unlocked bike in NYC, esp. when a whole crowd is present and everybody's looking away from the bike. Heck, Kryptonite even makes their strongest lock especially for NYC.

[bpappin]

Looks to me like the guy stole the bike and the other two were chasing him.

How do I know that?
I don't, neither does anyone else because the camera only shows the two officers... and as I've d already posted, its clear that both officers at the *exact* same time, thought the guy needed to be stopped.

Also like I've already posted; how do (you* stoop a bicycle going at least 15km/h?

Any supposition about guilt or innocence of the cop or the bicyclist is exact that.

[Ray210]

Typically ignorant viewers would assume that the officer was out of line, without knowing the full circumstances that lead up to the incident. I guess the as****ole should have obeyed a lawfuld order to stop by a Police Officer. I thought that the Officer was way to easy on the criminal.

[chash360]

I saw no guesture that would have indicated to the rider to stop. There was no verbal order in the audio. There are specific hand signals police officers are trained to use to for stopping traffic that apply to bicyclists as well. He used no such signal. It appears to me that the officer started walking rather casually, not indicative of an officer attempting to stop someone who had comitted a crime just off frame. Was this perhaps to not let on to the bicyclist, that he was about to be brutalized. If I saw an officer urgently moving in to stop me while on a bicycle, the instinct is to stop, because you are so vunerable while moving. This bicyclist clearly had no idea the officer was going to do this, so I highly doubt he committed any crime off frame.

[bluesbiker]

hey ray ya know what??? you suck, bigtime. the bicyclist was a criminal, you pea brained moron. no the outlaw here is the lying sack of **** cop, who lied on his report, was later stripped of his badge and gun, and now here you are, flaming a$$hole of the day, sticking up for him. watch out, you could be the next one riding a nightstick if you breathe crooked around this hitler-esque circus

[bpappin]

I agree. The cyclist is a criminal based soly on what can be seen in the video.

You can see the officer saying something to him, and the cyclist is clearly trying to dodge him (the officer picks up speed to intercept).

Unfortunately we can't hear exactly what he's saying, but we can clearly see that the cyclist is trying to "get away" and doesn't want to be stopped.

I'd say the cop was justified because I can't see any other way to stop a bicycle going 15km/h, even if the only thing the guy was doing was ignoring the "Stop" request (which is a criminal offense by the way).

[bpappin]

bluesbiker: from your username, I'd say you might be a bit biased.

Judging by the language you use, I suspect your one of those bicyclist who give bicyclists a bad name.

[publix625]

The big A** Hole pushed him. I hope the bike rider sues . I have a saying about Cops.
You don't become a control freak because you are a Cop, You become a Cop because you are a control freak

[free_bike_rider]

I'm a long time bike rider... I hurt myself by avoiding other things (squirrels, rabbits... and other living things....) but to be blatantly F***ed by a cop is just WRONG!!! A cra**y stop or harassment is one thing, but a hard check from a cop is JUST WRONG!!!!!!!!!! I hope that the city prosecutes this guy for civil rights violations as well as battery and assault. To let a blatant and obviously illegal act to be ignored would be CRIMINAL at best!!!!!!!!!!!

[AppleSuxLeo]

Time for a baton blow to the officer`s nut sack !

[jattttt]

you could use a blow too....but the problem is you dont have a nutsack!