NYPD Officer Involved In Brooklyn Subway Platform Brawl Put On Desk Duty
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The NYPD officer involved in a melee with a subway station platform crowd last week has been placed on a non-enforcement assignment.
According to police, officers responded to a fight between two large groups of people on Friday afternoon that had spilled into the Jay Street-Metro Tech subway station. Several teens allegedly continued to fight and resist arrest, with one even punching an officer.
Five people were arrested -- all 18 years old and younger -- with charges ranging from resisting arrest to assault on a police officer.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams led a call for the officer to be taken off the street after cellphone video shows the officer punching at least two teenagers.
The district attorney's office is investigating whether the officer followed protocol or crossed the line.
For its part, the NYPD said there's more to the incident than what is seen on the video, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported.
Some are wondering what led up to the moment on the clip that appears to show an officer punching a teenager and then seconds later taking a swing at another.
Web Extra: Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Teens On Subway Confrontation With Police:
"To me, he went beyond the call of duty," Adams said of the officer. "You're not in a boxing match. That is not the goal and what I saw in that video is clearly outside of any training that I ever received in the police department.
"He took a chaotic situation that police had under control and he almost turned it into a riot situation based on his actions," Adams added.
Adams, a retired NYPD captain, said one officer appears to have escalated the matter and wants him to be placed on modified assignment pending further investigation. The NYPD said it is conducting a review and that the video, which picks up mid-fight, doesn't tell the whole story.