Courts and Crime
An eight-second video of the officer repeatedly hitting the young girl’s head went viral online
The New York Police Department suspended an officer after he was caught hitting a young girl while he was allegedly attempting to break up a fight on Staten Island Tuesday, Jan.3.
The incident occurred at a bus stop at around 2:45 p.m., according to CBS New York. Police claimed they were responding to a fight that broke out between two groups of girls. When the officer attempted to arrest one 14-year-old girl, her 12-year-old sister allegedly hit the cop, who then struck back.
Part of the incident was captured in an eight-second video, which showed the cop repeatedly smashing his fist against the girl’s head. The video did not show how the disturbing interaction began or ended. The name of the suspended police officer has not been released yet; the name of the victim has not been released either, though that is customary with minors.
On Wednesday morning, the NYPD confirmed one of the officer’s suspension on Twitter: “Last evening, the NYPD became aware of an incident that occurred on Staten Island where officers responded to a fight between a group of youths. The actions of those officers is under investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau. At this time, one officer has been suspended.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also addressed the incident when asked about it during a press conference. Adams, a former police captain who has tended not to criticize the police and defended officers under scrutiny for their conduct, did acknowledge, “I was not happy with what I saw in the video.”