A city police officer seen in a YouTube video knocking down a bicyclist taking part in a mass bike ride pled not guilty this afternoon to felony and assault charges stemming from the incident.
Officer Patrick Pogan, 23, surrendered at the Manhattan district attorney's office this morning.
He was then arraigned on a misdemeanor assault charge and a felony charge of filing a false report. If convicted, he could face jail time.
He was released without bail.
The charges stem from a video posted back in July, which shows bicyclist Christopher Long being knocked down in Times Square by the officer.
Long was riding with the group Critical Mass when the incident occurred. Critics of the group say participants in those demonstrations often ignore stop lights and instructions by police to send a message about their right to use the streets.
Long was charged with blocking traffic, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assault, but a judge dismissed those charges in September.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly called the "situation sad and disappointing."
"It's certainly sad and disappointing to see any officer indicted, but especially one who had only been out of the police academy for three weeks," said Kelly.
Pogan was stripped of his badge and gun and assigned to desk duty after the incident.
More Information: http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/law_enforcement/84281/online-video-shows-city-policeman-pushing-cyclist-in-protest/Default.aspx
1 comment:
Your article didn't mention anything about the felonies that cop committed--he basically tried to frame the cyclist by claiming that the cyclist rode into him.
Had there not been a camera present, the cyclist would be in jail for assaulting a police officer.
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