From the New York Times:
A New York City police officer was stripped of his gun and badge on Monday after an amateur video surfaced on the Internet showing him pushing a bicyclist to the ground in Times Square during a group ride on Friday evening.The cyclist, identified in court papers as Christopher Long, 29, was taking part in a monthly ride, called Critical Mass, that often draws hundreds of riders. In a criminal complaint against Mr. Long, the officer, identified in the court documents as Patrick Pogan of the Midtown South precinct, says that the cyclist rode straight into him. But the video, posted on YouTube and on the blog Gothamist.com, shows the officer lunging toward Mr. Long.
The police said the officer had been assigned to desk duty pending a Police Department investigation. The police did not give the officer’s name or age or say how long he had been with the department.
By the way, Newsday is reporting that the officer’s name is Patrick Pogan, 23, a rookie officer on duty for less than one month.
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- More on Critical Mass assault: Rider charged, Cop on desk duty
- Charges dropped for Critical Mass cyclist assaulted by police
- Police report from cop who slammed Critical Mass bicyclist posted online
- Totally over the top - Mayor Bloomberg on the Critical Mass assault