NYPD Assault of Critical Mass Cyclist
I just saw this YouTube video of an NYPD officer body checking a cyclist during the latest Critical Mass in Manhattan. You can not see if the cyclist rode through a red light. There is a steady stream of people riding by when, BAM! He takes out the cyclist with what looks like no reason or warning. It is acts of violence like these that make people not want to ride in a bicycle promoting ride like Critical Mass. What kind of violent police department do we have that will body check a moving cyclist? I find this kind of behavior appalling and absolutely unnecessary. If anyone has any more info on this specific incident please let me know. This is far from the first violent act I have seen by police during a Critical Mass ride. The worst being the RNC several years ago, and more recently unmarked scooters plowing into cyclists without warning. This kind of unnecessary violence has got to stop!
That looks a lot like a practiced or choreographed move on the part of the officer - the rider’s handlebars swing suddenly to the right as if the cop has grabbed them and turned them to throw the rider’s weight off the centerline, making it easier to shove him off the bike and onto his back where he could easily have cracked his head.
Here’s a slightly longer version which shows a different angel of the assault taken by another camera, just as messed up.
That second video (which I watched) is gone now.