Bicyclist assaults NYPD officer

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Critical Mass are the key words here. If you're involved with that group, you are, by definition, a loser.

Besides, Long was wearing grey socks with shorts. Seriously? He should go to prison just for that.

 

[Matthew Best]

Critical Mass are the key words here. If you're involved with that group, you are, by definition, a loser.

He may be a loser, but he's a loser who already won $65,000 in damages from the city. Maybe he spent some of the money on long trousers.

 

[ponderingturtle]

He may be a loser, but he's a loser who already won $65,000 in damages from the city. Maybe he spent some of the money on long trousers.

or pot for 1300 days.

 

[luchog]

Critical Mass are the key words here. If you're involved with that group, you are, by definition, a loser.

Around here, they're referred to as "Massholes", and are more than just losers. They've been known to engage in prolonged obstruction of traffic and vandalism of automobiles, have staged collisions with motor vehicles, and in at least one case, forcibly surrounded the vehicle, pulled the driver out, and beat him severely. There have also been minor confrontations with police. They claim to be trying to "bring awareness" of the problems of cycling in the city, and the lack of respect shown them by auto drivers (not that auto drivers show each other much respect IME); but the only awareness they're bringing is of what a bunch of extremist asswipes they tend to be.

As far as this putz goes, I'm fully willing to believe that he telegraphed his intent to ram the officer, as the officer claimed, only to veer away at the last moment to make it appear as if the police officer was attacking him instead of defending himself. Massholes are fond of those sorts of martyrdom tactics.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Around here, they're referred to as "Massholes", and are more than just losers. They've been known to engage in prolonged obstruction of traffic and vandalism of automobiles, have staged collisions with motor vehicles, and in at least one case, forcibly surrounded the vehicle, pulled the driver out, and beat him severely. There have also been minor confrontations with police. They claim to be trying to "bring awareness" of the problems of cycling in the city, and the lack of respect shown them by auto drivers (not that auto drivers show each other much respect IME); but the only awareness they're bringing is of what a bunch of extremist asswipes they tend to be.

As far as this putz goes, I'm fully willing to believe that he telegraphed his intent to ram the officer, as the officer claimed, only to veer away at the last moment to make it appear as if the police officer was attacking him instead of defending himself. Massholes are fond of those sorts of martyrdom tactics.

How did he make the officer falsify his police report?

 

[One Skunk Todd]

Watching the video several times it does look like the cyclist has put down his head and right shoulder as is if to deliberately collide with the officer. Or perhaps he does that because he thinks a collision is inevitable. It almost looks like a football tackle to me. Either way that inclines me more favorably towards the officer. Especially if he told the cyclist to stop.

If I was about to collide with somebody I would likely throw out my hands to protect myself, quite violently even.

 

[Aepervius]

Watching the video several times it does look like the cyclist has put down his head and right shoulder as is if to deliberately collide with the officer. Or perhaps he does that because he thinks a collision is inevitable. It almost looks like a football tackle to me. Either way that inclines me more favorably towards the officer. Especially if he told the cyclist to stop.

If I was about to collide with somebody I would likely throw out my hands to protect myself, quite violently even.

Hu ? Are we watching the same video ? Because to my GF and me it loks definitively that the cop tackled the cyclist...

ETA: look at the slow down. it is clear he did not want to avoid him, he HAD avoided him, he jumped on him to throw him out. The officer has no excuse whatsoever to use violence to stop somebody which was definitively NOT doing a violent crime.

 

[One Skunk Todd]

Hu ? Are we watching the same video ? Because to my GF and me it loks definitively that the cop tackled the cyclist...

Oh I agree the cop knocked him down, and hard too. I think he did it because he thought the cyclist was going to ram him. And to me, it looks like the cyclist IS preparing to ram him.

Kind of like when the guy carrying the football (sorry I'm not a sports guy, don't know the right terms) puts his head and shoulder down to smash past the guy trying to knock him down. And I've seen the tackler (defender? lineman?) throw his arms out just like that to stop they guy with the ball. I don't even watch sports much but that's really what it looked like to me.

 

[Uncayimmy]

Oh I agree the cop knocked him down, and hard too. I think he did it because he thought the cyclist was going to ram him. And to me, it looks like the cyclist IS preparing to ram him.

Really? The cop is standing in the middle of the street. He takes one step and narrowly misses bumping into another cyclist who swerved to avoid him. Ultimately he takes five steps, the last of which is a lunge. Take a look at the image below. The green dots indicate where the cop started and where he ended up. Notice that in his last two steps he's running/lunging. The cyclist, however, is clearly taking a path to avoid the cop.



It's painfully obvious to me.

 

[One Skunk Todd]

Really? The cop is standing in the middle of the street. He takes one step and narrowly misses bumping into another cyclist who swerved to avoid him. Ultimately he takes five steps, the last of which is a lunge. Take a look at the image below. The green dots indicate where the cop started and where he ended up. Notice that in his last two steps he's running/lunging. The cyclist, however, is clearly taking a path to avoid the cop.

[qimg]http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/thum_281604bd9dee411749.jpg[/qimg]

It's painfully obvious to me.

To me it looks like in the last image the cyclist is turning/leaning into the officer. Notice how much lower his head and shoulders are, and how (to me) he is tilted to the right. The officer was definitely rushing towards the cyclist, I don't dispute that, and that made the inevitable collision much more violent. I don't think the cyclist was trying to stop or even slow down.

My question would be did the officer actually indicate to the cyclist that he wanted him to stop. I can't listen to the audio now so I can't hear if the word "Stop" is audible, but I don't think he pointed at the cyclist either.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Oh I agree the cop knocked him down, and hard too. I think he did it because he thought the cyclist was going to ram him. And to me, it looks like the cyclist IS preparing to ram him.

Kind of like when the guy carrying the football (sorry I'm not a sports guy, don't know the right terms) puts his head and shoulder down to smash past the guy trying to knock him down. And I've seen the tackler (defender? lineman?) throw his arms out just like that to stop they guy with the ball. I don't even watch sports much but that's really what it looked like to me.

The cop tackled the guy, case in point he hit the side of the bike the bike's end did not hit him. Now unless this is some weird sideways moving bike, he tackled the bike rider.

Now there could be good reasons for him to tackle the bike rider, but that is not what he said in his police report, he said that the bike rammed him. Some how jumping sideways it seems I guess.

The bike rider might well be a scumbag and a loser, but the cop attacked him and then lied about what happened in his report. This is unacceptable and he needs at the least to be fired, and I think he should be charged with obstruction of justice to start with, and likely assault as well.

 

[Hannibal]

I have to say that it looked as though the cop charged the guy. In fact, scratch that - he DID charge the guy.

Not really acceptable, but the lying afterwards? Even worse. I have much more of a unique perspective than most on the board when it comes to actions of cops and I think that this was out of line.

Critical Mass are, however, hypocrites if they will engage in what is criminal activity but then complain when someone does it to them.

A bit like most of these type of movements really

 

[davefoc]

Oh I agree the cop knocked him down, and hard too. I think he did it because he thought the cyclist was going to ram him. And to me, it looks like the cyclist IS preparing to ram him.

Kind of like when the guy carrying the football (sorry I'm not a sports guy, don't know the right terms) puts his head and shoulder down to smash past the guy trying to knock him down. And I've seen the tackler (defender? lineman?) throw his arms out just like that to stop they guy with the ball. I don't even watch sports much but that's really what it looked like to me.

I just looked at the video again because One Skunk Todd's interpretation was completely different than mine.

Just before the collision the officer in the video takes several accelerating steps toward where the bicyclist will be. The bicyclist does not steer toward the officer. That is an objective fact. It is also an objective fact that the officer when he reaches the bicyclist extends his arms which can only be an attempt to push the bicyclist off his bike with the likelihood that serious injury or even death will result. Apparently One Skunk Todd has noticed that just before the officer reaches the bicyclist that the bicyclist cringes from the oncoming assault in a way that apparently reminds OST of somebody carrying a football. And based on this he believes the bicyclist was attempting to run into the police officer.

He believes this despite the fact that the officer clearly accelerated toward the rider and without this sudden movement the bicyclist would have cleared the police officer by several feet.

So in the world of OST the fact that the bicyclist may have reacted to the oncoming officer by cringing and the fact that the bicyclist was clearly not steering toward the police officer add up to his belief that the bicyclist was going to ram the police officer. Huh?

 

[Aepervius]

One Skunk Todd, he is not "lunging" toward the cop, he is turning to the right after passing him ! I *only* use bicycle as a transportation method and he is simply inclining himself to go to the right after going to the left. The cop OTOH definitively *jumped* literraly at the cyclist.

There is no excuse. The cop did it intentionally.

 

[One Skunk Todd]

The cop tackled the guy, case in point he hit the side of the bike the bike's end did not hit him. Now unless this is some weird sideways moving bike, he tackled the bike rider.

Now there could be good reasons for him to tackle the bike rider, but that is not what he said in his police report, he said that the bike rammed him. Some how jumping sideways it seems I guess.

The bike rider might well be a scumbag and a loser, but the cop attacked him and then lied about what happened in his report. This is unacceptable and he needs at the least to be fired, and I think he should be charged with obstruction of justice to start with, and likely assault as well.

Well, most people (including myself) seem to agree that the cyclist was trying to go around the officer. If the officer in some way indicated that the cyclist was to stop, and the cyclist tried to evade him does that count as resisting arrest? I don't know, but maybe somebody who knows the law can answer that more clearly.

It also looks to me like the officer hits the cyclist in his chest, such that he spins 90 degrees as he lands on the sidewalk. I think this is because the cyclist is leaning to the right.

 

[ponderingturtle]

I have to say that it looked as though the cop charged the guy. In fact, scratch that - he DID charge the guy.

Not really acceptable, but the lying afterwards?

It could be acceptable if he had a good reason to tackle the biker, the tackle by itself is not enough to say anything that happened was wrong. It was that he lied in the report and said the biker rammed him instead of him tackling the biker that shows he had no legitimate reason to do this.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Well, most people (including myself) seem to agree that the cyclist was trying to go around the officer. If the officer in some way indicated that the cyclist was to stop, and the cyclist tried to evade him does that count as resisting arrest?

And again that was not what he wrote in his report, his report was that the bike rider rammed him. So as he fabricated a crime on the part of the rider to start with, why should we assume that he had any legitimate reason to do this?

It also looks to me like the officer hits the cyclist in his chest, such that he spins 90 degrees as he lands on the sidewalk. I think this is because the cyclist is leaning to the right.

So what? I really do not see what you are trying to get at here.

 

[One Skunk Todd]

One Skunk Todd, he is not "lunging" toward the cop, he is turning to the right after passing him ! I *only* use bicycle as a transportation method and he is simply inclining himself to go to the right after going to the left. The cop OTOH definitively *jumped* literraly at the cyclist.

There is no excuse. The cop did it intentionally.

If I said the cyclist was lunging I was mistaken. The officer is the one rushing towards the cyclist, I believe to try and stop him. When the officer realizes the collision is inevitable, the officer who is already moving very quickly, throws his arms out and into the cyclist. For all intents and purposes it comes across as a lunge but I don't think his intent was to knock the cyclist down.

Also keep in mind it looks like the officer is much, much bigger than the cyclist, so ANY collision is likely going to wind up badly for the cyclist.

 

[One Skunk Todd]

And again that was not what he wrote in his report, his report was that the bike rider rammed him. So as he fabricated a crime on the part of the rider to start with, why should we assume that he had any legitimate reason to do this?


So what? I really do not see what you are trying to get at here.

I thought one of the original charges against the cyclist was resisting arrest.

To me it looks like the cyclist IS trying to ram. He seems to be steering towards the officer and preparing to collide with him.

 

[Uncayimmy]

To me it looks like in the last image the cyclist is turning/leaning into the officer. Notice how much lower his head and shoulders are, and how (to me) he is tilted to the right. The officer was definitely rushing towards the cyclist, I don't dispute that, and that made the inevitable collision much more violent. I don't think the cyclist was trying to stop or even slow down.

My question would be did the officer actually indicate to the cyclist that he wanted him to stop. I can't listen to the audio now so I can't hear if the word "Stop" is audible, but I don't think he pointed at the cyclist either.

Well, yeh, of course he's preparing for impact. He has watched the cop take several steps on an intercept course, and for the last two steps the cop was running/lunging. What do you expect him to do?

You should also note that the cyclist is about two feet from the curb, and there's a dark spot indicating water and/or damage to the street. Even without the cop there, I would expect the cyclist to be leaning anyway as he comes out of his turn to avoid the cop and avoid the curb.

There's nothing on the audio indicating the cop told the cyclist to stop. There's a street full of cyclists, so at the very least the cop would need to point at who he wants to stop. After all, four cyclists passed the cop after he turned to face the oncoming traffic. Furthermore, when you're cycling, it's hard to hear anything because of the wind (I've done thousands of miles of street riding, so trust me on this). The guy could have been deaf for all the cop knew.

If the cop wanted the guy to stop, he needed to make hand gestures. This is standard procedure for traffic control. There is zero evidence that the cop tried to get the guy to stop, and if he did, he did it completely wrong.

ETA: The cop is clearly lunging. Look at how his legs are extended for the last couple of steps. He did not try to avoid a collision at all. He tried to instigate one. Look very closely at the last frame. The cop's feet are about five feet apart. If he had stopped there would have been no collision.