An 84-year-old man was thrown to the ground and left with a bloodied face after an encounter with police Sunday.
The police presence around 96th street was high on Sunday after 26-year-old Samantha Lee was hit by two vehicles and killed on Sunday morning. They were apparently giving tickets for jaywalking, and we heard multiple reports of aggressive police tactics. Liz Patek, for instance, told us police grabbed her bike and blocked her while she was walking her bike across Broadway and 96th Sunday. She said the officer told her: “streets are for cars.”
Another incident left an 84-year-old man with severe wounds to his head.
The New York Post was at the scene: “Kang Wong, who lives nearby, had been strolling north on Broadway, crossing 96th Street in the eastern crosswalk, when an officer told him to stop — for allegedly crossing against the light, just before 5 p.m.”
Wong, the Post said, didn’t seem to understand English and walked away as the officer wrote him a ticket. The officer tried to hold him at the scene, but Wong apparently struggled, a witness told the Post.
“As soon as he pushed the cop, it was like cops started running in from everywhere.”
The man’s blood was spilled all over the pavement, before he was handcuffed and hauled away.
The Post called it an “exceedingly violent arrest” that left Wong “badly beaten and bloodied.” The Post and the Daily News have photos of Wong.
“The incident is under internal review,” Deputy Chief Kim Royster tells us.
Pedestrians: watch out! @NYPDnews giving jaywalking tickets at 96th/Bwy after pedestrian killed this AM pic.twitter.com/a24gb0L571
— Sonia Moghe (@soniamoghe) January 19, 2014
Brutal police, another part of the Bloomberg legacy. Mr. DeBlasio needs to step up before these lawless lawmen are his.
Pedestrian – Please see my reply to Mike, directly below. Applies to you too.
Yes another police brutality no wonder NYPD is so hated. And DeBlasio promised to fix this and NYPD is very known to be most abusive and racist police force in the world. Still Moscow police are nice next to them the real thugs were uniform.
If NYPD want to be respected they should first learn to how to respect New Yorkers specially those with a limitation like this man.
Mike – What are you talking about? “…NYPD is very known (sic) to be most abusive and racist police force in the world…”? What is your source for this ‘fact’? You know Mike, worst thing about the internet is you can just make stuff up and get it published.
I agree with Mike and Pedestrian you are those few or many americans who think that america is the best and are blinded to see the reality. New York City police is the most violent and racist police in the world i been to 30 countries and i seen alot compared to you i bet you been only far as New Jersey. If this guy was white i bet he would not have got this treatment
Folks, lets all clam down for a minute with all the talk of police brutality until we hear all the info. Even if this man did not understand English and/or was just visiting NYC, people world wide understand that you don’t push a police officer. From the accounts out there so far it appears that when J walking the NYPD tried to stop him and give him a ticket. He stood there with the officer while the ticket was made out. At some point in this process he started to walk away. After the officers called to him he still refused to stop, when the officer tried to get him to stop he pushed the officer. That is when he put on the ground and arrested. As for injuries it looks like he has nothing more than a split lip and scraps. Brutal is a term that infers serious harm and we should be careful not to throw it around before all the facts, not just speculation, are out. There were quiet a few TV folks out there all day and they most likely caught this on tape. Not to mention all the private cameras in the area.
Respect is a two way street, if you actually frequent the 96 and B’way area you would see people disrespecting the law and the police daily. People are verbally abusive to the officers when they tell them to use the crosswalk, then they are shocked and become even more abusive when told they are going to get a ticket.
It is unlikely to be necessary to put an 84 year old man on the ground to arrest him. Even if he pushed a police officer, excessive force seems to have been used against him.
This sort of overly aggressive response from police is not acceptable.
Thanks Robert! Finally a voice of reason. Apparently Pedestrian and Mike preferred the days of homeless people all over the streets, squeegee men at every corner and being afraid to ride the subways after dark.
This guy does not speak English according the NY Post and NYPD arrest this guy compared to the taxi driver who killed the kid just gets a ticket i like how NYPD works out
An 84 year old man?
Any comment Commissioner Bratton?
Mike, what?! Have you LIVED in any other city/country? Pretty sure they are “regarded” as NY’s finest for a reason
As for the j walking barrage … Pretty sure they rather wake people up and give them a ticket for j walking, texting while crossing the street (against the light) then respond to a call of yet ANOTHER dead body that possibly could have been prevented by waiting the extra 10 seconds to cross a freaking street
Everyone’s got the right to their own opinion, but for myself I’m sad and appalled. NBC has video of 7 cops surrounding this elderly jaywalker, his face bloody, before they hustle him into a squad car, and they are handing out $250 jaywalking tickets?
It is time the city had a plan for pedestrians not cars. this is a walking city and yes people jay walk which is wrong but you can’t even cross the street when the light is in your favor. Turn signs would really help on major cross streets as the busses turn right into the pedestrians. Pedestrians should have the right of way not cars and there should be a champagne to illuminate this. I tried to get Mayor Bloomburg behind this after being hit myself to no avail
Of course, of all places, they chose to use the 96th/Broadway intersection. It is not possible to cross Broadway at this intersection without technically jaywalking unless you are standing on the curb waiting for the light to change. Thanks to the turn signals, the white crossing signal is only displayed for a few seconds before it switches to the flashing hand with countdown. Since technically, beginning to cross while the red signal is flashing is jaywalking, the only way to cross legally is to wait for the next cycle of lights so you are stepping off the curb within the first 5 seconds of the 96th street light turning green. Instead of focusing on jaywalking, why don’t they ticket drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks? Sure, go after the victims instead of the cause.
They were ticketing drivers as well. Also, one would assume that the 10 people who got tickets for jaywalking actually walked against a signal and didn’t just technically start too late.
Separately, seems like this incident with the 84-year-old gentleman was not handled in a perfect manner, and certainly charges should be dropped. But that said, if a few people need to get tickets to send a message, so be it – like most New Yorkers, I jaywalk practically everywhere, but I long ago learned that it’s a bad idea to do so at this intersection.
Five drivers were ticketed up at 96th Street, and ten pedestrians. I totally agree that the timing of the lights there is dangerous and infuriating, to drivers and pedestrians alike.
In terms of enforcement, in under 15 minutes I watched at LEAST ten drivers blow through red lights heading north on Amsterdam at 72nd Street this afternoon: out of ten cycles of the light, there was one without a red light-runner and most had two. NYPD vans were driving through, but not stopping or ticketing any of these drivers.
A car ran a red light this morning as I and two other people were crossing 96th Street at West End. We clearly had the walk sign, and he was going straight (so he didn’t even have the right-on-red excuse). It was about as blatant as you can get, and he nearly hit one of us. I wish I’d had a chance to get his license plate number.
There has to be a balance and at that intersection pedestrians are a big part of the problem. Pedestrians crossing on the east side of the street see that the northbound lane has a red light and assume they can cross even though the crosswalk is red. The cars turning left onto 96th have the arrow. Then the worst of these people will take exception to a horn and stay in middle of street for a few extra seconds to give the driver who is following the rules the finger or yell obscenities at him/her.
If you don’t know how to read or follow the crosswalk sign, then you shouldn’t be walking on NYC city streets
Take an example from parents crossing with their kids … They wouldn’t dare cross or jaywalk into traffic with other lives in their care … Do the same for yourselves … You’re worth the extra minute to cross
Look, this man has been charged with jaywalking, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct.
The cab driver who ran over and killed a 3rd-grader walking in the crosswalk with his dad last Friday night has been charged with: nothing.
The bus driver who ran over and killed a cyclist early Sunday morning has been charged with: nothing.
The cement truck driver who turned into a senior citizen crossing the street on Saturday morning, dragging and maiming her so she lost her leg, has been charged with: nothing.
Just as a thought experiment, you think if a cyclist had hit any one of these folks or caused this level of carnage, they would be charged with a crime?
DMH,
I haven’t seen details on those previous incidents….
In those cases were the pedestrians hit crossing when they had the walk signal. If so then absolutely drivers should have been charged.
If those crossing were doing so when the signal was don’t walk then the absolutely should not be charged.
These were all in Manhattan, though the cyclist was on 125th Street and the cement truck horror on the UES. I’m not a cop or investigator, I’m just a pedestrian / cyclist / occasional driver who hates seeing this destruction. In some ways it’s a steady drumbeat in the city, one that we tune out till it hits close to home, but I wish we could do better. Whoever’s the victim: be it a cop or a cop’s brother or my great-aunt or a kid crossing the street, when the driver is RIGHT there and someone is injured or dead, the NYPD’s response should be the same.
I really wish you were right, John Gibson. I pay careful attention to the issue because I lost a loved one several years ago to a driver who killed him while he was biking to work (in another state, not in NY), and in practice, NYC’s justice system doesn’t seem to work that way.
Really, the only way deadly drivers are typically charged with any crime, including reckless driving or manslaughter, is maybe (but only maybe) if they’re drunk, or young, or unlicensed. Or alternatively, no matter what, 100% beyond a shadow of a doubt, a driver will face the full wrath and might of the law if he happens to harm a cop.
As I track it, otherwise you can pretty much legally do any level of harm to a stranger in NYC: whether they’re on a sidewalk, crosswalk, on a bike, inside a building, or with a green light, red light, walk light, whatever, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re in a car and they’re not, they will deal with the aftermath of the collision and you will head home with no charges – not even reckless driving – as long as you let the police know you didn’t see anyone and didn’t mean to do it.
I wish I was wrong, and I really hope we’ll see this change. I hate the fact that I could give you dozens of examples, mostly deaths, from the last 12 months in NYC. Here’s one it still boggles my mind to believe: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130912/maspeth/car-plows-into-four-people-near-queens-school-fdny-says
Here in Manhattan, a driver hits a cop and NYPD tweets “Police officer struck by a vehicle, perp is in custody” (happened last night). A driver hits and kills a 3rd grader in our neighborhood and eleven days later, New York’s finest hasn’t decided whether or not to make an arrest.
It’s hard not to rub your eyes and wonder, where’s the sanity here? where’s the deterrence and where’s the justice?
I agree the response should be consistent based on the context. In no way shape or form should a driver be charged if the pedestrian was crossing when they should not have been.
In no way shape or form should a driver not be charged if the pedestrian was crossing when they crosswalk signal indicated they were okay to cross.
What I haven’t seen in any of the incidents mentioned is whether or not the pedestrian was crossing when they should or if they were crossing when they shouldn’t have based on the crosswalk signal.
I think we can all agree that a good percentage of NYPD officers simply have no common sense. Common sense could have avoided unnecessary blood.
Can you imagine the level of outrage that would be on display if this jaywalker was a 24year old black man!
Thank you NYPD for keeping my family and fellow New Yorkers safe.
I do not know the details of why this guy was bleeding, but I am sure there is an explanation.
Regardless of the fact that the man pushed the officer, the police officers should have taken into account the fact of his age. Seniors are more likely to get hurt easily. What I don’t understand is the lack of controlled tempers – it’s as if once an officer gets into the fray, their immediate thoughts lead to, “USE UTMOST VIOLENCE! USE UTMOST VIOLENCE! USE UTMOST VIOLENCE!”
Shouldn’t we want our police force to be able to keep calm heads during a scuffle? One who uses force in a moderate and reasonable manner to subdue but not hurt? Who wants to deal with a force that has men and women who easily lose their tempers and in a result lead to lawsuits that cost the city in the end?
Perhaps of just ticketing jaywalkers, they should also be ticketing drivers in that section. Drivers in this city will never be mindful of the laws if there is no severe fine or punishment for being reckless.
Just last week my husband was crossing 79th and Broadway when the light gave him the go ahead and a car clipped him. The driver was in a rush and didn’t heed to the light. Instead of asking if he was okay, she came out of the car and started yelling at him that it was my husband’s fault. Luckily there was no lasting damage but the idea that he could have been severely hurt and the driver could have gotten away with nothing but a slap on the wrist is astonishing. How can getting some place quickly justify the loss of a life?
First: without taking the side of either the old man or the police, a news media description of this event as anything like, “Bloodied for jaywalking…” is an example of slanted journalism at its worst. He was *ticketed* for jaywalking; he was *bloodied* as a result of his fighting with the police. As has been pointed out here, you don’t have to speak English to recognize a police officer or to respond calmly to the officer’s attempt to restrain you; not speaking the language is, if anything, a good reason to cooperate until you’re in circumstances in which communication can be implemented to sort out the situation. When a person exhibits aggressive behavior, eg, pushing, against a police officer, it is standard procedure for the police officer to restrain the person; however unfortunate, there is a danger that the person may sustain injury as a result of continued resistance. Did this old man really believe that if he pushed the police officer, or that if he continued to fight, that he would either overpower the police officer, or that the officer would give up & walk away? Why were 7 officers present to restrain him? Because there’s less chance of anyone – citizen or officer – being injured that way. If you resist the police – even if you’re right & they’re wrong – you’re asking for escalated trouble. Last year I was in the subway pulling a luggage cart containing a clothing donation. The MTA agent saw me swipe my card & push the turnstile, & then motioned for me to go through the entry gate behind a couple of people w/baby strollers. A police officer on the platform, who hadn’t seen me pay or the agent wave me through, assumed I was a farebeater & told me to get off the train that had pulled into the station as I’d passed through the gate. I stated that I’d paid & refused to exit the train; the officer refused to check w/the agent, who was in sight a few feet away. In the ensuing argument, when the officer called for backup I realized there was absolutely no way I was going to win this right then & decided to cooperate. It ended w/me being led away in handcuffs, detained for 3 hours, & sent on my way w/a court summons. I’m white & affluent, though I was dressed casually at the time. Ultimately, in court a judge dismissed the charges after hearing an explanation & seeing proof that I had in fact paid my fare. (Incidentally, I watched the same judge dismiss various charges against a number of young black male defendants for various minor charges where police had apparently been overreaching, eg, walking, not riding, a bike on the sidewalk.) My point in telling this is: In this case, I was right & the officer was wrong; she totally misread me, probably looked @ my casual dress & luggage carrier w/a bag of clothes & assumed I was a homeless person trying to beat the fare (you should have seen her face in the station, going through my wallet & finding my platinum credit cards!) Right or wrong, though, if I had not decided to begin cooperating & had continued to resist as I was escorted from the train & handcuffed, I’d have ended up bloodied too. In retrospect, the most efficient response on my part would have been to obey immediately the officer’s order to exit the train, regardless of whether I felt it was reasonable, have the station agent confirm I had paid, & get on the next train. At least some of the difficulty & inconvenience I experienced were results of my own decisions, & I think I’ll be better off choosing differently if I encounter similar circumstances in the future.
FYI folks here are the law section numbers, see section B.
It is also illegal in New York to step off a curb the moment the light starts blinking red. But it is rarely enforced and
even when it is, the fine is $50.
§ 1151. Pedestrians’ right of way in crosswalks. (a) When
traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver
of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if
need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a
crosswalk on the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, except
that any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian
tunnel or overpass has been provided shall yield the right of way to all
vehicles.
(b) No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety
and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is
impractical for the driver to yield.
(c) Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any
unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross
the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear
shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.
Wow!!! There is no end to the surreal stories going on in this town. The cops beat down an old man for jay walking. You know what happens when the light turns green so the pedestrian can cross? All the cars that were waiting to turn, start rushing to turn not giving the pedestrian a chance. That’s one of the reasons people jaywalk. Crossing the street is scary even when you have the light. SMH.