Crime & Safety

NYPD Suspends 2 Cops For 'Troubling' Protest Violence: Shea

The suspended police officers were caught on video shoving a woman and pulling a protester's mask down to pepper spray them.

Two NYPD officers were suspended without pay and a supervisor was transferred for violent acts against protesters.
Two NYPD officers were suspended without pay and a supervisor was transferred for violent acts against protesters. (Brendan Krisel/Patch)

NEW YORK, NY — Two police officers have been suspended without pay for "troubling incidents" where peaceful protesters were violently shoved to the ground and pepper sprayed, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced.

Commissioner Shea described actions of the officers as "disturbing" and "counter to the principles of NYPD training" in a Friday statement announcing the conclusion of two internal affairs investigations.

"Over the past week, as I’ve said on multiple occasions, we have seen several troubling incidents involving behavior from members of the department that the NYPD is actively investigating," Shea said in a statement.

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Police officer Vincent D'Andraia shoved Dounya Zayer to the pavement during a May 29 protest that started at Brooklyn's Barclays Center that turned violent when police pepper sprayed demonstrators. Zayer crossed paths with Officer Vincent D'Andraia, who shoved her to the ground, when protesters and police moved to streets surrounding the arena. Video of the brutal shove was viewed millions of times on social media.

Zayer, who was hospitalized with seizures and a concussion following the attack, has since called for D'Andraia's arrest. Many Brooklyn elected officials, some of whom attended the May 29 rally and were pepper sprayed, called for the officer to be fired from the police force.

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A supervisor who was on the scene when D'Andraia shoved Zayer will also be transferred as a result of the internal investigation, Shea said.

The second police officer suspended without pay was seen pulling a protester's protective mask down to pepper spray him in the face during a May 30 protest, Shea said. This attack was also caught on video and posted to social media, where it's been viewed more than 11 million times.

Protester Andrew Smith told NBC4 New York that he had his hands up while protesting to show police officers he meant them no harm.

"At a certain level I come to expect the police to do things that they shouldn’t do," Smith told the news channel.

NYPD Internal affairs referred the cases to the Department Advocate for further discipline, Shea said.

Protesters have taken to the streets in New York City every day since Thursday, May 28 to protest police brutality and systemic racism since the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer pinned his knee against Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes for an alleged low-level offense. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered police to begin enforcing a curfew Monday after groups of looters burglarized Manhattan businesses.

City and police officials have said the curfew helps police keep the peace, but many elected officials say it has given police the authority to aggressively escalate against peaceful protesters. In recent nights police officers have cracked down on otherwise peaceful demonstrations across the five boroughs, citing the mayor's curfew as a reason for the arrests.


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