The police officer who seemingly randomly picked a bicyclist out of a critical mass crowd to tackle has been indicted for falsifying records and could also soon be charged with misdemeanor assault. The YouTube video [below], which went viral soon after the incident, was instrumental in the indictment.
The officer claimed that the bicyclist had shoved him before the officer tackled him back, but the video shows no such incident.
Critical Mass is held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities across the world. Bicyclists join together for a cross-city ride moving as one unit and often disobeying traffic laws. The movement is intended to allow bicyclists, who typically must watch out for cars on the road, to be the traffic themselves.
[Via: Gawker]
Photo Credit: Doug Letterman on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
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Alex Felsinger
Alex is primarily concerned with animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and environmental justice. As a freelance writer in San Francisco, he leads a deliberately simplistic and thrifty lifestyle, yet still can’t help gawking at the newest green gadgets and zero-emission concept cars.
59 Responses to Cop Who Shoved Bicyclist Indicted Using YouTube Footage
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People like that should rot in prison. What a horrible human being.
I remember when this event was exposed on youtube. They ought to bring that cretin to full justice. I ride critical mass every month here in Chicago and I’ve never seen or been a part of an issue with authority during our rides. City cops even ride with us!
This particular cop in NY must be a very, very bad apple. Sadly he’s not unique.
As long as he’s fired, I don’t care what he’s charged with. There are no shortage of applicants for the police departments in this country.
Is there a related news article with this video? Anyone have a link?
fucking pig pwned
“The idiot cyclist got what he deserved. Too bad it wasn’t a fractured skull.”
How can anyone think that?
Your the Idiot!
Spoiled kids in the richest country on earth rebelling against authority. So prideful. So embarrassing to watch.
I hope the cop and NYC is sued for damages. NYC could pay a hefty price for that one. So tell me again why we shouldn’t question authority…?
S
Everyone needs to FILM EVERYTHING. You could single handedly destroy police corruption with ubiquitous videography.
Most cops join the force to be a legal Bully .
Cops are used to getting respect, whether earned or not. Some are cops for good reasons, and are usually good cops. Some are cops for the power trip and have gigantic egos to boot. Some, unfortunately, go beyond ego and like being cops because they can rig an excuse to shoot people.
Different precincts “breed” different types, but in my experience most cops are good cops. It’s the “jerk” that usually does something like this.
This cop deserves punishment just like any criminal he would be arresting. In fact, I am fully in support of criminals getting harsher punishments for crimes against cops, AND I am in full support for cops getting more severe punishments for crimes against civilians. Frankly, this punishment was not severe enough. Showing leniency to an agent of the government that violated their oath sends the wrong message to the people they are supposed to be protecting. In this situation, where much authority is given, much restraint is expected.
This absolutely crosses the line. I hope this cop is stripped of badge and serves jail time; I’m appalled. This was totally unnecessary.
This is why cops are pigs. Criminals with badges. I hope he gets fired. This pig doesn’t even deserve to work mall security.
yeah the cop should be allowed to randomly attack anyone he wants right?
Idiot bicyclist .. He deserves what he got. Why do people expect that they can break the law, and then when they get hurt, they can just sue. The whole event is ridiculous .. the police should set up a road block and charge them all.
Governments have not found an efficient way to contain cyclists doing critical mass, protests or riots. That video is just an expected abomination we get when a stupider cop just don’t have a procedure to handle a protest like that.
I doubt that cop will get the punishment he deserves. I bet cases like this will only help states pass laws empowering cops to do things like that.
Fuck the police! =]
Perhaps the cyclist had been “disobeying traffic laws” – with a selectively-edited video clip it’s impossible to say why the officer took the action he did.
I’m a cyclist, and I hate Critical Mass. Being “anti-car”, breaking traffic laws and harassing motorists spreads the impression that cyclists are all nuisances, and this reflects on how motorists treat me. I wish they’d find a more constructive way to promote cycling.
Wow what an idiot. I hope he gets some time for that. That is just wrong. Horrible cop.
Cops aren’t used to get their actions caught on video yet. This happens all the time, and you haven’t got any recourse if it isn’t on tape. It’s your word against a cop (and his corrupt colleages) so you will always lose in court.
Now, with video, the cop gets a little slap on the wrist. But he will be back, and he will be top-dog on the force.
The cop should be charged and convicted of attempted murder.
they should put that cop on a bike and push him into a big pile of cheese-cake slices and then beat him with rods made of plutonium pop-tarts (strawberry frosted)
As one who has been pushed off his bike and fractured bones. F the police.
@Hey
You’re retarded. Stab your throat with knives multiple times.
OR
Step in front of a bus.
OR
Put your car in reverse and put your head under a tire of your choosing.
why were they standing in the middle of the road?
to BE dicks?
Good.
Didn’t just assault the poor rider, he also filed fake charges in an attempt to sully the record of a law abiding citizen… all for riding a bike. This is like the cops who recently sexually abused the guy for smoking a joint in Brooklyn. When cops commit crimes, they MUST be held accountable. Otherwise, they get progressively more violent and dishonest. Just like in the infamous Stanford Prison experiments.
Once a pig, always a pig.
cyclists shouldn’t have to deal with control freak cops. but hey there you go. power to the people!
i hope they lock that pig up for a while, so some brothers could give him lessons in love
the irony is. for the last 4 years, there’ve been countless other situations where the cops are just as aggressive and it’s caught on tape and there was no outcry and the people doing these misdeeds in the name of protecting and serving, go unpunished. They just get promoted and work this shenanigans deeper into the system.
Don’t get me wrong, Please… Just looking for some peace and kindness when I ride my bike through Happytown.
Great video. The officer in this video is scum. Seriously, cops should always be punished more severely than civilians for their crimes.
What an idiot – in more ways than 1!
seriously? wtf? why do people even care? the cop got a weakened charge, and he’ll get a weakened judgement, and a weakened sentence, and he’ll be back bullying by next week. cops literally get away with murder, so why does anyone think that justice could possibly be done here?
I think that there should be laws that require greater penalties for law enforcement and government workers who break the law as they are supposed to be the front line to uphold it. As it stands they usually get off with very little punishment. How many innocent people are falsely convicted due to the general belief that police do no wrong and don’t lie? If the general public only knew.
I would have definitely gone to jail or worse if I had seen this happen first hand. This cop should be put off the force for his actions. At the very least be suspended and forced to submit to a psychological screening before returning to active duty. Truly shameful behaviour.
Whatever, the bicyclists in NYC are even lower scum of the earth than cabbies. They constantly disobey traffic laws and are hard to see when walking because they zip between cars. What a bunch of twats.
Wow America the police state, oh he pushed me sure he did, I suppose that’s what happens when you give underachieving jack asses with low self esteem a gun and a badge.
I smell lawsuit. And by the looks of things he could buy a biomass-load of offset credits.
It is sad that he has only been indicted and not actually convicted. The cop will just be suspended with pay and then this will be forgotten.
These cops are criminals in disguise. The other cop is an accessory. They should be punished to the full extent of the law just like any other criminal. The punishment should even be more severe for public officials like this who abuse their positions to carry out their crimes. I hope after being convicted they are sued by the bicyclist for a large sum.
Every day I’m thankfully that there are men and women who risk their lives as cops to keep my family and friends safe. Its not a job I would want in a million years (or, quite frankly, would survive for more than one night, I bet…).
But a video like this is just crazy. It has to serve to remind all of how closely we have to continue watching what they do, and make sure we hold them 100% accountable for their actions.
I remember that sickening clip! Youtube Justice Strikes Again.
that sent chills all over my body.
Why, why would the cop do that ?
The idiot cyclist got what he deserved. Too bad it wasn’t a fractured skull.
The cop was obviously in the wrong here and deserves whatever punnishment he gets.
Critical mass is an interesting thing. I’ve seen them happen in numerous citites and, unfortunately, breaking trafic laws and behaving in a less than orderly fashion seems to be the norm.
Raising awareness is good. Making drivers think all cyclists behave this way is bad.
My guess is that this is the reason why the cop behaved this way (this surely doesn’t excuse his behavior, but it might well explain it).
Two cops failed here. The one who assaulted a citizen. And the one who saw but failed to take action against that activity?
It should be felony assault and battery, but we always give the cops way too much leniency it seems.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWNED
Misdemeanor assault? Surely he should be charged with felony assault, due to his position. I mean, if it was the other way around, it would likely be attempted murder or something..