A viral video posted by an NYPD police union appears to show two officers being surrounded by angry bystanders in the Bronx before one was placed in a headlock.
The incident took place on July 1 when an officer was trying to disperse a crowd, officials told News12.
The footage shows two officers arresting a man who was resisting being placed in a squad car. As one of the officers tries to arrest another man, he apparently places the officer in a headlock as the crowd cheers and yells profanities.
The officer and the man then take one another to the ground before the suspect runs away.
The footage emerged Saturday when it was posted by the Sergeants Benevolent Association, an NYPD union, on Twitter. The union criticized a City Council bill that will make it a misdemeanor offense for officers to use a maneuver that restricts a suspect’s airflow, according to a New York Post.
“COREY JOHNSON your STUPID law is about to be signed by NYC STUPID Mayor it’s time you both take your community input & grab these perps yourself,” the post said.
COREY JOHNSON your STUPID law is about to be signed by NYC STUPID Mayor it’s time you both take your community input & grab these perps yourself. @IngrahamAngle @RealCandaceO @CoreyinNYC @NYCMayor @TuckerCarlson @JudgeJeanine @w_terrence @charliekirk11 @JCats2013 @kristyswanson pic.twitter.com/lHBqWI89st
— SBA (@SBANYPD) July 11, 2020
Police told News12 that 31-year-old Franklin Adrian, of the Bronx, was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.
“The NYPD was disappointed that the individual was not charged initially. The violence against the police officer speaks for itself. We are now in discussions with the district attorney regarding the case,” the police department said in a statement about the incident.
The district attorney’s office told the local outlet that the incident is being investigated.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he plans to sign the chokehold bill next week.
“We’re going to do the retraining of officers to address the features of the law,” de Blasio said last week, reported the NY Post. “And as with everything in life, we’re going to work hard to make it work.”
Last week in New York City, 30 shootings and 10 homicides were reported during a single 24-hour stretch, officials told ABC7. Following the crime wave, de Blasio claimed that he thinks the city’s court system is not functioning normally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a lot of gang activity, a lot of drug activity,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea was quoted by ABC7 as saying, apparently disputing the mayor’s comments. “It’s bad people with guns, and it doesn’t get any simpler than that. People settling scores, spraying a crowd.”
Focus News: NYPD Officer Placed in Headlock While Trying to Make Arrest, Video Appears to Show