NYPD Bruise
Rookie cop gave dubious account of his videotaped bicyclist assault
JULY 29--You've probably seen that YouTube video of the New York cop viciously knocking down a bicyclist in Times Square last week.
Officer Patrick Pogan's blindside hit on Christopher Long led NYPD brass yesterday to strip the rookie cop of his gun and badge pending a department probe. That review will surely focus on the 22-year-old Pogan's sworn account of the takedown, which led to Manhattan prosecutors filing three misdemeanor charges against the 29-year-old Long, who was participating in a monthly bike ride organized by transportation activists.
As seen in a Criminal Court complaint filed against Long (who spent 26 hours in jail after his arrest Friday night), Pogan offered a fantastical version of the incident. Pogan claimed that Long drove his bicycle directly into him, knocking the cop to the ground and causing "lacerations on deponent's forearm."
The video, of course, shows Pogan delivering a blow that would have made former Oakland Raider Jack Tatum proud. Pogan also claimed that Long resisted arrest and even exclaimed, "You are pawns in the game, I'm gonna have your job." The bicycle enthusiast's second statement may prove prophetic. (2 pages)
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