Posted on 07/29/2008 9:36:14 AM PDT by heartwood
A rookie cop - the son of a highly respected New York City detective - has been stripped of his badge and gun after being caught on video viciously attacking a bicyclist who was part of a Times Square demonstration. '
The startling YouTube video shows Officer Patrick Pogan, 22, apparently setting his sights on - and then tackling - a bicyclist as he pedaled along Seventh Avenue as part of last Friday's controversial Critical Mass ride.
Christopher Long, 29, was among a throng of riders as he whizzed toward the corner of West 46th Street at 9:30 p.m. and appeared to try and swerve away from the officer.
But the video shows Pogan pick up his pace as he stares down Long before shoving the cyclist, slamming him to the pavement.
To the dismay of stunned pedestrians, Long, who was not wearing a helmet, hurtles several feet through the air as he flips off the bicycle and lands on the curb.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I loathe these aholes. Looks like a “dirty” hit though.
I wish Critical Mass would meet “Foamy Mass from FDNY”.
A few hundred gallons of foam on the streets would shut these jackasses down instantly.
Without more information, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the Cop! The protesters were there to cause trouble - we can’t hear what the cop said or if another cop farther away had already tried to stop the guy - Maybe it was Rodney King on the bike and the video doesn’t show the entire story.... ;^)
the bicyclist was acting illegally
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What illegal act was that one, solitary bike rider committing?
I can’t believe we’re looking at the same video.
This cop is walking very slowly.
The bicyclist was going to hit him or clip him.
The bicyclist didn’t give him adequate berth at all.
I don’t have a problem with what the cop did.
NFL teams reported to camp last week. The NY Giants might want to make room on their practice squad for that cop.
placemarker for later
Officer Pogan saw Long commit a crime and moved to intercept him
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And what crime did Pogan see Long commit, that was somehow left out of the criminal complaint? You might have had an argument except for the fact that the linked article reproduces said criminal complaint, and it has nothing about a prior crime having been committed.
Nice try, though.
bttt
Watch the video again. Looks to me like Long did lean toward the cop an instant before Pogan hit him.
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Watch the video again. Looks to me like Long is trying to avoid a storm drain at the exact location Pagan hit him.
Isn't that an accusation of law breaking?
I remember being young and ignorant once.
Ain't it great?
Well, in fact, disorderly conduct is in the complaint. Whether that’s it or not, we’ll have to wait and see. Or it may have been a minor thing like shouting at an old lady crossing the street in her walker. Pogan may have only wanted to talk to him about it and tell him to cut it out, but Long had a different idea. Hey, I don’t know for certain what it was, or even if it was. We just have to wait and see.
I’m in agreement with those who say Pogan let dozens of cyclists pass him by unmolested, but then zeroed in on Long — why? In all likelihood, it wasn’t random. There has to have been a reason.
Yes, indeed it is, thanks!
Typical of law enforcement. To some, the badge apprently gives cops the right to break laws and the butt kissers and apologists come out of the woodwork to make excuses for them. The cop is much like many, many, many cops who are criminals in uniform. The people who support and make excuses are no better.
Yes, these protesters are lawbreakers as well, but becoming a lawbreaker yourself does not solve the problem, it only makes you part of it.
Until these cops are made an example of, this will go on. Prison time would do him a world of good as would a personal injury lawsuit.
If he wanted the guy to stop he would have signaled with his hands....waving them....putting them up....something. But he let the guy get close and nailed him. He was trying to hurt him, not stop him, but put a serious hurt on him. This was a personal, emotion driven attack.
I know. I acknowledged that that point can't be proven or disproven by the videotape.
As I stated, where his account can be proven or disproven, it's clear he's lying.
The whole point of my question was why do you choose to believe him at all on minor points that can't be proven, when his main contention (the cyclist targeted him and intentionally used his bike as a weapon) is proven to be a lie?
Not necessarily. Pogan may have just made eye contact with him and ordered him to stop.
Shouldn't be necessary.
These immature 30-somethings are criminals, pure and simple, and should be dealt with once and for all, if New York or San Francisco were serious about ridding themslves of the questionable "amusement".
They always take a known route:
Stop traffic along the route and barricade the street.
Follow the end of the losers with 300 cops.
Once the losers are confined, issue citations.
First citation, $50
Second repeat citation, $200.
Third and subsequent repeats, confiscation of the bike being used for 30 days. Charge storage for the period of confiscation.
Problem solved.
I don't remember.
In the article the lying cop says the biker ran into him. In the video the cop jacks up the biker. What more do you need to know?
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