Video images
The New York Post reports the officer was using a collapsible baton to fight off the men who appeared to be intoxicated and emotionally disturbed. The cell phone video shows the officer warning the men to “stand back” as they approach him. One man was kicked in the leg and knocked to the floor but gets quickly and starts swinging towards the officer. The officer then proceeds to hit the man with his baton.
Two more men approach the chaos and try to stop the altercation but as one restrains one of the assailants, another man tries to attack the cop but ends up tripping over his feet and rolls over onto the train tracks.
Twitter users reacted to the video and some praised the officer for fighting off the five men on his own.
NYPD reported that the lone officer was assigned to the East Broadway station in the Lower East Side after responding to a call about a woman being harassed by a group of homeless men around 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
PBA President Pat Lynch released a statement in reference to the cop’s bravery and criticized the city’s government for not handling the homeless issue in the city.
“Once again, in de Blasio’s New York, we see a police officer having to rectify a problem allowed to fester by the inaction of this administration. [The officer] used textbook defensive measures taught in the police academy against overwhelming odds in an effort to protect himself and anyone else on the platform.’
The four men were transported to a local hospital and police arrested four more officers on Monday who may have been involved in the attack.