NYC Cop tackles bicyclist.... NYPD claims biker 'Assaulted cop'

[The Doctor.]

Run time: 01:10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ   Posted on YouTube: July 28, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: July 29, 2008 By DU Member: The Doctor. Views on DU: 3679

 
Man, I just love getting these guys on video. Let's work on getting rid of all the animals with badges.

[Loudmxr]

1. We don't have that problem in CA the motorists just run the bikers over.

You can always spot the trouble makers. They're the ones with "Schwinn" tattooed on their butt.

Seriously don't the cops realize that some tourist MAY have a camera??? Allen Funt is dead but his spirit lives on. B-)

[RNdaSilva]

3. Pedestrians also...get more points.

Allen Funt? Now that ages one.

[RNdaSilva]

4. I witnessed this...on my big-screen TV... more than once.

Ergo, I will testify on behalf of the cyclist. Beyond a shadow of a doubt...unless he mouthed off, but that would still be no excuse.

[sniffa]

2. Wow.

What the fuck was that for!? :wtf:

[The Doctor.]

5. Well, he needed to 'show someone' he was a tough-guy...

Otherwise how would anyone know he wasn't an insecure piece of shit?

[grannie4peace]

6. i second your motion

bad words keep pouring through my head-- a**wipes!!!!

[The Doctor.]

7. More on the story;

http://www.miamiherald.com/business/technology/story/621103.html


"The complaint said Long, 29, deliberately steered his bicycle into the officer, causing both of them to fall to the ground."

The phrase; "Lying sacks of shit" comes to mind.

[Maestro]

19. What?

It looks like he tried to avoid the cop until he knew a collision was imminent as the cop kept coming for him.

[sniffa]

29. Too bad it was caught on film

Fuck that cop, and fuck the NYCPD. They're gonna be out a big chunk of change.

[bos1]

8. Will you keep us updated on this case please???

Yes or no?

[The Doctor.]

10. Uhhh... if I get the chance, sure thing!

If you want to make sure you follow it, I recommend that you put at least the MH story in a prominent place in your favorites with the biker's name in the title. That way you can run periodic searches and follow along when anything about the case makes the news.

I might not remember, but I'll keep an eye out.

[bos1]

14. actually one article says the cop's case comes up in September

so I guess nothing will happen til then, unless the biker sues as he should

[trumad]

9. Thank God for the video...

<snip>
The video, posted anonymously, shows the officer standing in the street as bikes whiz past. He moves toward a cyclist and violently knocks him to the ground in front of crowds of people.

The officer in the video was placed on desk duty pending the outcome of a police department investigation, chief police spokesman Paul Browne said. The officer's name wasn't released.

The biker, Christopher Long, of Hoboken, N.J., was arrested because he was obstructing traffic in the heart of Times Square, a criminal complaint said. He was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

The complaint said Long, 29, deliberately steered his bicycle into the officer, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

During his arrest, Long squirmed and kicked, saying to the officers, "You are pawns in the game. I'm gonna have your job," the complaint said.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/technology/story/621103.html

[alphafemale]

11. The slomo at the end removes all doubt. The cop hit the biker not the other way around.

The biker was trying to give the cop plenty of space.

[DCKit]

12. Not only that, but the cop was deliberately lengthening his stride to get to the biker.

The NYPD shouldn't have issued yet another lie to cover for a bad cop until they were sure the video wasn't going to come out.

BTW, WTF were the two cops doing in the middle of the street to begin with?

There needs to be a psychological test to keep the bullies and sociopaths out of positions of authority and without access to guns and tasers.

[The Doctor.]

13. They screwed this up utterly. We know the cyclist didn't do anything off-camera before the attack

Because they reported that he 'tried to hit the cop'. Oooops! If the biker flipped them off and said something like "Fuck you pigs" as he was riding toward them, they would have mentioned it... but nope... we know the truth. That cop was just waiting to fuck with someone.

Unlike some tapes they can mealy-mouth their way around, this leaves no doubt.

I'd like to get that asshole's name and leave a few choice messages on his home answering machine... at 3 am.

Fuck him, I hope his family knows what a piece of shit he is.

[The Doctor.]

15. Found it;

Police have placed the officer, identified as Patrick Pogan, on desk duty pending the outcome of a department investigation. Pogan told officials that Long was obstructing traffic and that the biker was actually trying to run him down.

http://wcbstv.com/local/cop.slams.biker.2.781944.html


"Obstructing traffic" my ass. It was a one-way street and they were all traveling the same way.

[iamahaingttta]

16. It was Critical Mass! Know what that means?

That means that the cops were **instructed** to fuck with the people on bikes.
It means that what that particular cop did was a matter of **policy** dictated from above.
He just happened to get caught, 'cause he was dumb about it.

New York cops HATE Critical Mass, and something like this was bound to happen. Officer Patrick Pogan was the patsy who finally took it over the line.


http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10001149-93.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

[bos1]

17. The biker could've been killed

the way he fell right near the curb, if his head had hit the edge. Can't see if he has a helmet. Charge the cop with attempted homocide

[The Doctor.]

26. Attempted Homicide is a bit much.

Definitely aggravated assault.

It's shit like this that discourages cooperation with police. That's not good. The more they abuse their power, the less they are trusted. You can't have effective law enforcement without the trust of the general public.

[rcsl1998]

34. No!

You missed two words - "Officer Partick Pogan was the patsy who finally (GOT CAUGHT) t(aking) it over the line."

[TooBigaTent]

18. Where are all the DU cop-defenders? They always come out to rationalize and excuse

the criminal behavior of the uniformed thugs.

[Downtown Hound]

24. They're always MIA at moments like this

Which is why video is so important.

[barbtries]

20. oh my gawd that was shocking

is the guy all right? man that makes me want to cry

[Juche]

21. 1 month on duty

The cop was 23 years old and was only working for 1 month. I don't know if that's good or bad because either he is too stupid to realize he is not above the law or it only took him 1 month to learn how to assault the public & file false charges. I hope his life is destroyed by this.

[barbtries]

22. he definitely should be charged with a felony

was the rider okay?

[Unca Jim]

23. The DU Cop Defenders?

The officer in this video assaulted some guy peacefully riding by for no reason. He deserves what's coming to him.

I do not, however, understand the right-wing-esqe knee-jerk hatred of all police some have. Does that make me a defender? The police are public servants with a tough job. Some of them cross the line and should be charged with crimes. Why do those statements need to be mutually exclusive? Police are people like any other group and there will be variances in their competence, professionalism, and behavior.

The blind cop hate is honestly like the Winger blind hate of taxes. Most of the time taxes are doing good and helping the people who pay them. Most of the time so are the police. If you have had bad experiences with taxes or police that color your perceptions, that's only *your* experience. Feel free to talk about those experiences all you want, but don't necessarily expect me to agree with you. My experiences differ. In regard to police, I have had encounters with some who have been assholes, but I have also seen how hard they work to keep their communities safe. I recommend riding with a Community Service Officer or a Juvenile Officer to get an idea of all they do.

As a public servant myself (teacher), I think the police need to be held to a high standard of professionalism. When they don't measure up or commit crimes against the people they are supposed to protect, they shouldn't be police anymore and they should answer for their crimes. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the good work most of them do.

Because, y'know, the world is not all simple and black and white, and stuff... :eyes:

[progressoid]

27. What you said.

:thumbsup:

[Downtown Hound]

30. I'll tell you why there's so much hatred

The cop in this video attacked a U.S. citizen out of the blue, and then charged him with assaulting an officer. If it hadn't been for this video, that biker would almost certainly have been going to jail and maybe even prison. When he got out, he would be very hard pressed to find a good paying job ever again. In other words, his life could have been ruined. An innocent man's life destroyed. For what? Nothing.

And what does the NYPD do? They reassign this asshole turd in a uniform. He attacked a man and tried to ruin his life. He should be arrested and charged with assault at the very least, and in my opinion he should be charged with framing this guy. But no, he gets a nice desk job where we the taxpayers get to pay his salary.

The problem with police isn't that they are all bad. The problem is that they don't do jack shit to get rid of the bad ones. It's damn near impossible to convict a cop of wrongdoing, even when you get it on video. I would bet you any money right now that among the NYPD there's a lot of pissed off cops about this video. But I doubt they're pissed off about what happened, they're pissed off about the fact that it was posted on youtube. Cops hate it when you challenge them, even when they're very clearly in the wrong.

Does this video make you wonder how many people are sitting in prison on trumped up charges? Because it does to me. And the last person I ever expect to do anything about these police abuses that are happening all over the country are the police. That's the problem with police and why they are so hated by so many people. There are literally countless stories of misconduct like this out there that never made to youtube, and their cries are not being heard. And when something like this does make it up, more often than not the cop gets off with a slap on the wrist.

[Maestro]

31. I heard on CBS News the cop has been placed on desk duty

That will surely teach him. The cops also arrested the cyclists with obstruction of justice or something like that. It's ridiculous.

[DIKB]

32. Like Spiders

they do a good job of catching and ridding other bugs, maintaining population levels. A necessary job.

Do you want one on you?

The difference is that for the most part, spiders won't attack unless they feel threatened, or you encroach upon their territory. No spiders feel the need to make up for psychological or intellectual shortcomings by assaulting a segment of society they don't approve of.

There are a bunch of bad apples ruining it for the rest when it comes to Police Officers.

One can hardly blame liberals for distrusting police. When most protests are done by liberals, often getting nasty, and you throw in police brutality. Don't forget false charges such as "Resisting Arrest" FAR to commonly attributed to ANY infraction, I have seen too many videos of people complying with and peacefully going along with the officers, only to later be charged with resisting arrest.

That is why I treat them like spiders. I stay away, mind my own business, and hope to never encounter them.

I also don't judge people for feeling like they do about police officers, just like spiders. If you've had a bad spider bite, or know someone who has had one you would understand.

[izquierdista]

38. No professionalism

Videos like this show that they are held to NO level of professionalism; whatever lie they dream up to rationalize their criminal behavior is blindly accepted because they are wearing a badge giving them some "authority". However this time the camera was there to catch for posterity what actually occurred.

Even today, the PBA is supporting this thug's lie of what happened (http://wcbstv.com/topstories/cop.slams.biker.2.783370.html). When cops don't measure up or commit crimes against the people they are supposed to protect, they almost always get a nod and a wink just for being one of "us" against the many "them" outside the force.

And no, my hate is not blind, it is because my eyes were opened by a corrupt cop accusing me. At this point, were I to serve on a jury, a cop's testimony would hold no sway. It would rank right down there the self-serving statements a criminal makes to get more favorable treatment. Unless there is other corroborating physical evidence, I won't accept that a badge is evidence of good character.

[Unca Jim]

41. Well...

I wasn't saying I thought that a badge was evidence of good character at all.

I was only making the point that a badge is not evidence of bad character.

[truebrit71]

25. Cyclist should thank his lucky stars he didn't get tasered as well...

..Um, that video CLEARLY shows the cop went after the cyclist. I hope he enjoys his time on unemployment, and I hope the cyclist sues the ever-loving shit out of the city...

[Junkdrawer]

28. In defense of the cop...

The cop played safety for his High School football team. The combination of the cyclist's helmet and NYC's lights confused the officer into thinking only he could prevent the touchdown.

Watch again and you'll see that the officer is merely trying to block the "runner" out-of-bounds.

[Junkdrawer]

44. So, I'm told I NEED to point out that this post is sarcasm.

Sorry to all who took my post literally.

[Pastiche423]

33. Rookie cop caught on video pushing bike rider

BY ROCCO PARASCANDOLA | [e-mail]
July 29, 2008

A rookie cop faces almost certain dismissal after he was caught on video sending a bicyclist sprawling with a vicious and seemingly unprovoked shoulder check, police sources said yesterday.

Officer Patrick Pogan, 23, who has been on patrol in the Midtown South Precinct for less than a month, looks like an NFL cornerback shoving a receiver out of bounds in the video, which was filmed in Times Square during Friday's Critical Mass bike ride and posted anonymously on YouTube.

His target, Christopher Long, 29, managed to avoid serious injury, but was arrested and charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Long, court papers said, wove his bicycle in and out of the center lane on Seventh Avenue, disrupting traffic, then drove right into Pogan's body.

The video doesn't show any cars inconvenienced by Long, just Long trying to avoid Pogan as the young officer apparently singles him out and lowers the boom, sending the Hoboken resident off his bike and onto the sidewalk in front of dozens of witnesses.

"He was body-slammed," said Craig Radhuber, 54, who was riding his bike behind Long.

"I was so angry. I was ready to jump on the police officer. ... This was totally uncalled-for."

Long, according to court papers, did have a few choice words for Pogan and other officers, telling them: "You are pawns in the game - I'm gonna have your job."

Long was released without bail and would not comment, nor would his lawyer.

The New York Police Department said the officer was placed on modified duty as a result of an investigation by Internal Affairs.

http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/tuesday/news/ny-nybike295781100jul29,0,3075441.story

[The Doctor.]

35. Kool... KO may play this.

That'll be good to see.

Poor Patrick P. will pay profusely for his pugilism.

[HamdenRice]

36. More background on cop assault on bicyclist

As iamahaingttta wrote in a post above this, the NYPD HATE Critical Mass. I just finished listening to a local news talk radio show, and a local journalist described a consistent police pattern toward CM that makes this video seem like child's play. The police, for example, have tried to hit CM riders with their cars, and even ridden SUVs into the West Side bike lane to try to run down bicyclists.

It is difficult to see how this was not part of a policy decision to harass CM cyclists in particular and cyclists in general.

There is an underlying, long running, acrimonious dispute between Critical Mass and the police about whether CM needs to get a "permit" to "demonstrate" or "publicly protest" but the whole point of CM is that it isn't a conventional organization and rides are not demonstrations, but more like a cultural phenomenon, a spontaneous convening of people with bicycles on particular street routes to ride in the same way and numbers that cars use the streets. This drives the authoritarians insane, and that insanity trickles down to the knuckle dragging patrolman as an "anything goes" attitude toward cyclists.

Another issue the journalist brought up is that with the spread of video, it is being discovered that cops routinely lie in official reports. Routinely lie doesn't really capture it. It's more like they always lie, in order to make the "arrest" conform to some law or guideline. The journalist mentioned the mass arrest of Democrats and progressives during the Republican convention a few years ago in which virtually none of the official reports filed by cops turned out to have any grounding in reality.

[FraDon]

37. Officer Pogan clearly stalked, selected and nailed his target ...

... he takes three very deliberate steps - right, left then hard plants his right as he delivers his blow. Note also that Pogan briefly stumbles as he follows through, but he does NOT go down; and our random citizen victim IS wearing a helmet.

[BlooInBloo]

39. Cops are despicable pieces of shit.

[Puzzler]

40. Yeah right! You can clearly see...

... that the cop is running at the cyclist, and the cyclist is swerving to the left (too late, unfortunately) to avoid a collision with the cop.

[stlsaxman]

42. According to NPR the officer LOST HIS BADGE because of this tape.

:bounce: :headbang: :yourock: :woohoo: :applause: :bounce: :headbang: :yourock: :woohoo: :applause:

[The Doctor.]

43. Now...

the best outcome would be for him to ROLL on his 'superiors' and claim it was 'policy'.

It'd be nice to wake his ass up at such a young age.

Perhaps he could be invited to DU and with a little grace...