Posted by Les Faber in Yesterday I made a post about the case of a Critical Mass Rider being charged with assault by the NYPD, when video evidence clearly showed the Officer to be “mistaken” (aka he lied?).
He has been identified by several news agencies as one Patrick Pogan, 22 – a Rookie.
Mr. Pogan has been on desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The New York Times reported on the incident on July 29th:
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.
Hopefully the NYPD will make the right decision in this matter – which would include an apology and perhaps compensation to the cyclist – Christopher Long. By the way, he was charged with blocking traffic, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assault – according to local prosecutors. The video I watched did not show that.
