Blogs Apr 29, 2010 at 1:33 pm

Guilty: The New York Police Officer Who Allegedly Shoved a Critical Mass Rider

Eli Sanders
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Comments

1
awesome. fry the pig.
Adrian Ryan on April 29, 2010 at 1:37 PM Report this
2
How the fuck is that not assault?? I guarantee he would still be a cop to this day had someone not got that on camera and had the sense to put it on Youtube. Hopefully he gets the full four years.
furburger on April 29, 2010 at 1:37 PM Report this
3
What 2 said. Unfortunately it's unlikely. Criminal cops seldom go to jail unless they're Bad Lieutenant-dirty.
Matt from Denver on April 29, 2010 at 1:41 PM Report this
4
If he was riding his bike on the sidewalk like he should have been none of this would have happened.

Jeff on April 29, 2010 at 1:45 PM Report this
5
so let me get this straight...THAT was not assault? I can do that to the next bicycle cop right? As long as I don't file a false instrument? I'll remember that.
Purocuyu on April 29, 2010 at 1:51 PM Report this
7
@ 6 Yeah next time you are driving your car through Times Square and you are enjoying your clear unblocked streets give yourself a nice pat on the back. Idiot.
furburger on April 29, 2010 at 1:58 PM Report this
8
@4, WTF do you mean "riding on the sidewalk like he should have done? It was an organized ride, they were supposed to be riding on the street. And cyclists should not be limited to the sidewalk either. With cycling, there is a time and place for everything. Cyclists are less of a hazard to others on the road than on the sidewalk, yet for their own safety there are times when they should be on the sidewalk with courtesy to others on the sidewalk.

As for the cop, even if it is not the full 4 years he should do some time. Being a law enforcement officer carries a higher obligation to behave within the law, especially when on duty. Maybe if cops actually do time for crimes they commit in uniform, maybe cops will behave better.
Tingleyfeeln on April 29, 2010 at 2:00 PM Report this
9
@8 sarcasm-grasping fail. In New York, if you ride your bike on the sidewalk you will get, and deserve, a much more convincing beat-down than this, unless you are arrested for attempted murder first. Bikes are vehicles and belong in streets.
Fnarf on April 29, 2010 at 2:05 PM Report this
10
This completely changes my opinion of Critical Mass riders.
elenchos on April 29, 2010 at 2:05 PM Report this
11
This story, the latest M.I.A video, the lead story on the PI about Seattle SPD withholding videotapes. I'm having a distrust cop day.
liblad on April 29, 2010 at 2:11 PM Report this
12
@ Jeff, JT

In the name of Oscar Grant, I dub thee both Total Asshats.
Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In on April 29, 2010 at 2:15 PM Report this
13
You see what I'm saying? Critical Mass wins!
Gurldoggie on April 29, 2010 at 2:21 PM Report this
14
cut his balls off. violent offenders should have their balls cut off hello.
aardvark on April 29, 2010 at 2:30 PM Report this
15
balls cut off hello, balls cut off hello, balls cut off hello
Andy_Squirrel on April 29, 2010 at 2:32 PM Report this
16
I have had people yell "get on the sidewalk" while I'm riding in a bike lane. I've always been told that if you ride on the sidewalk, you're more likely to be harassed by cops/pedestrians. What can i do to make you happy suburu drivers? WHAAAT?!
roland of the gilead on April 29, 2010 at 2:41 PM Report this
17
In most civilized parts of the world, riding a bike on the sidewalk is ILLEGAL. Even in stupid places like Seattle, where it's not, it's always a bad idea. You're a vehicle. Ride in the street. Take all the room you need. If cars don't like it, fuck them, you're in the right.
Fnarf on April 29, 2010 at 2:49 PM Report this
18
Both people are douchebags.
jinushaun on April 29, 2010 at 2:54 PM Report this
19
@ 17 FTW. I don't know why more people don't understand this simple concept. It's probably why Seattle is such a bicycle hellhole.
Matt from Denver on April 29, 2010 at 2:56 PM Report this
20
@18 aren't we all to a degree?
Andy_Squirrel on April 29, 2010 at 2:56 PM Report this
21
any lawyers who can explain how that wasn't assault?
runswithnailclippers on April 29, 2010 at 3:02 PM Report this
22
@8

actually, it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk in nyc and you can get fined or have your bike confiscated.
thunderboltjackson on April 29, 2010 at 3:11 PM Report this
23
Cyclists do not belong on the road. They clog traffic and get in the way. I'm sick of them running red lights and stop signs.

They don't pay taxes and none of them have health insurance, so when they do get hurt my hard-earned tax dollars goes to pay for their emergency room visit.

Oh yeah, Critical Mass is tomorrow.

Jeff on April 29, 2010 at 4:07 PM Report this
24
Further: That cop should get a raise and a key to the city.
Jeff on April 29, 2010 at 4:14 PM Report this
25
And, I'd bet the cop votes republican.
Frau Blucher on April 29, 2010 at 4:14 PM Report this
26
Honey, just about all cops vote Republican, so that's not much of a stretch.
Fifty-Two-Eighty on April 29, 2010 at 4:22 PM Report this
27
Four years in prison sounds excessive for pushing some stupid cyclist over. Critical Mass is an illegal event anyhow.

Get over yourselves cyclists.
on April 29, 2010 at 4:22 PM Report this
28
@4, Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in New York.
johnnie on April 29, 2010 at 4:26 PM Report this
29
On the day of Walter Jone's retirement, you gotta admire that cop's bike blocking technique. Nicely played, sir.
on April 29, 2010 at 4:35 PM Report this
30
Four years in prison sounds excessive for pushing some stupid cyclist over. Critical Mass is an illegal event anyhow.

Get over yourselves cyclists.
S. Michael on April 29, 2010 at 4:41 PM Report this
31
4 years? If I were the judge I would have given him a crowbar and tell him to aim high next time.
NumberOne on April 29, 2010 at 4:51 PM Report this
32
@31 i hope your cat dies a painful death from cancer
Andy_Squirrel on April 29, 2010 at 4:55 PM Report this
33
@32. That was an evil, dickish thing to say. 31 made a joke you didn't like, and you made it personal. And mean. Be nice.
sepiolida on April 29, 2010 at 5:14 PM Report this
34
@33 Numberone saying that a cop should beat cyclists (me) with crowbars isn't mean and/or personal? wtf are you talking about?....and further....THIS IS THE INTERNET, welcome, enjoy your stay here
Andy_Squirrel on April 29, 2010 at 5:31 PM Report this
35
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
Telsa Grills on April 29, 2010 at 6:08 PM Report this
36
1) Oh look, it's Jeff of the closeted cyclist troll kind. Hey Jeff, better get to putting on the latest coat of wax on that pink pickup truck of yours so you can pretend in your fantastic mind that you're gonna run over a bunch of bicyclists.

2) It's mixed that the aggressor was not convicted of assault. It was. Shove anyone like that, no matter what, and that'll have you arrested if caught.
Telsa Grills on April 29, 2010 at 6:14 PM Report this
37
The answer is guns. Everyone should carry guns. If that cyclist had been carrying, he could have whipped out his gun and shot that cop in in the face in self defense when that cop started running for him. Everyone has a right to self-protection, especially self-protection from a tyrannical government agent.
Mason on April 29, 2010 at 6:17 PM Report this
38
Walter Jones comment for the win.
on April 29, 2010 at 6:24 PM Report this
39
@37, yes, of course, because then the cyclist would have gotten forty different kinds of dead instead of just a little bumped onto the pavement. Not to mention the cleverness of some idiot blazing away with a firearm on a crowded city street, and having a dozen cops blazing back -- there must be two hundred people within shooting range in that scene. That sounds like a much better resolution.
Fnarf on April 29, 2010 at 8:09 PM Report this
40
That'll teach the NYPD not to assault white people. NYC juries only let you get away with it when you assault minorities, every cop knows that.
Geeky Sex on April 29, 2010 at 9:02 PM Report this
41
@39 sarcasm-grasping fail. (Sound familiar? Or, wait, am I failing to grasp your sarcasm? My head hurts. Time for bed.)
Mason on April 29, 2010 at 11:25 PM Report this
42
@41: Mason, get bent.
Telsa Grills on April 29, 2010 at 11:31 PM Report this
43
Telsa,

What neighborhood in Seattle do you ride in again?

Oh, that's right ...none of them. Get back in the kitchen bitch.
on April 30, 2010 at 12:48 AM Report this
44
While I agree that it was ridiculous that the cop was acquitted of assault, he was charged with misdemeanor assault anyway. Even if the he were convicted, that conviction probably wouldn't carry any additional jail time (my guess would be that even if he were sentenced to the maximum one year penalty, it would be served concurrently with his other sentence). Offering a false instrument for filing, on the other hand, is a felony - albeit a Class E felony.

Point is, the cop got a felony conviction. While, again, it's pretty clear that the police officer did commit assault here, it's hard for me to get too enraged over him being acquitted of a misdemeanor when that conviction probably wouldn't have any practical effect.
Anne in MA on May 1, 2010 at 1:03 AM Report this
45
@ 44 - Uh, not sure where that extra "the" came from. Please disregard it.
Anne in MA on May 1, 2010 at 1:06 AM Report this
46
@43: Several — each time I return for visits to the old stomping grounds. Did I mention I used to be a bike messenger, too?

P.S.: George is my hometown homeboy, soooooo, suck it. In the kitchen, of course.
Telsa Grills on May 1, 2010 at 12:23 PM Report this
47
@ 34 That is just another random internet cat but thank you for noticing my icon. Fuck you and your bike, I pray to Allah that you get crushed under a bus personally. I am a Satanist and all my evil wishes DO come true. Its the internet, get over it.
NumberOne on May 1, 2010 at 3:20 PM Report this
48
@47 - My cat eats your stupid fucking cat's soul and shits dry little nuggets of damnation on your faith-conflating pillow (and that of presumed bully & convicted liar Patrick Pogan).
HOT PUSSY on May 2, 2010 at 8:56 PM Report this
49
That kind of behavior by NYPD happens every day.. hundreds of incidents in and out of jail, back alley and so forth. Sadly, that guy would have been charged, a felony to assault a police officer, or pled down to some other crime to get out of the mess, had this not been documented. And believe me there are a lot of folks out there with records that were wrongly charged. I was assaulted and when i went to file charges, they didn't want to take a report, but I pushed on and they arrested me and charged me for assault after having suffered a bloody attack by a bar owner. I believe he was friends with cops in the local prnct.
on September 19, 2010 at 1:17 PM Report this

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