"Deeply disturbing" NYPD arrest inside Brooklyn liquor store prompts investigation
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other elected officials have expressed deep concern over a violent arrest of a man inside a Brooklyn liquor store earlier this week.
Here's what we know
Video circulating online shows the man being repeatedly punched by NYPD officers inside the business on the corner of Hoyt and Baltic streets in Boerum Hill on Tuesday just before 4 p.m.
The Police Department confirmed the authenticity of the video and said officers were looking for a drug dealer's associate who wore green shorts. They spotted someone nearby matching the description -- in this case the man in the liquor store -- and tried to arrest him.
The man, who has not been named, was not charged with a drug offense, but was charged with resisting arrest, police sources said. He was initially given a desk appearance ticket for resisting arrest and was then released, police said. However, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told CBS News New York the charges will be dropped.
The officers' use of force is under internal review, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.
"There are a number of videos circulating online of an incident that occurred yesterday inside a store in Brooklyn involving two members of the NYPD. As I said at a press conference earlier today, these videos are deeply disturbing, and the matter is under active investigation by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau. The officers in question are modified. Their guns and shields have been removed," Tisch later wrote on social media.
"Disturbing and unacceptable"
Mamdani and City Councilman Lincoln Restler expressed outrage over what the footage shows.
"The violence used by NYPD officers in this video is extremely disturbing and unacceptable. Officers should never treat a person this way. The NYPD is conducting a full investigation into this incident," Mamdani wrote on social media.
"Yesterday, an extremely disturbing incident occurred across the street from the Gowanus Houses. These officers should be suspended immediately and ultimately fired. Our NYPD must have a zero tolerance policy for police brutality," Brooklyn City Councilman Lincoln Restler said.
PBA calls for more facts before public comment
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry took offense to the mayor's response to the video, stating it's inappropriate to comment without additional context.
"We don't know why the mayor is bothering to call for an investigation when he has already rushed to condemn the NYPD members involved without knowing all the facts. As we have said before, the mayor's words matters. He should not publicly prejudge any incident involving police officers," Hendry said.
Please stay with CBS News New York for more on this developing story.
