A new video released by the NYPD shows a man who is wanted by police for assaulting at least one member of the department with a wooden stick during the Wednesday afternoon clashes between pro-police and anti-police protesters on Brooklyn Bridge.
The demonstrations started peacefully that morning as a large group of “Stop the Violence” activists marched toward the bridge. Tensions started after about a dozen Black Lives Matter activists countered the pro-police march and briefly shut down the bridge.
The newly released footage shows a man climbing over the railing of the Brooklyn Bridge, running away from the scene following the alleged assault on a police officer. The suspect is seen wearing tan pants, a purple shirt, and a bandanna over his face.
????WANTED???? for ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER on the Brooklyn Bridge. #Manhattan @NYPD5pct on 7/15/20 @ 10:10 AM ????Reward up to $2500????Seen him? Know who he is?☎️Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us!????Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/NAE6iElmsJ
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) July 16, 2020
The NYPD’s Crime Stoppers shared the video on Twitter, noting that a reward of up to $2,500 is offered for any information that leads to the person’s arrest.
“The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the following individual in the attached photos and video wanted for questioning in regard to an assault on police officers in the confines of the 5th Precinct,” a police release said.
At least three officers were assaulted on the bridge—including NYPD Chief Terence Monahan—as officials attempted to make an arrest on someone. At the same time the man wanted for assault rushed towards the officers and hit several times with the wooden object on an officer’s head.
The NYPD released a video of the assault and several pictures of the injuries sustained following the clashes.
“Three officers violently attacked by protesters crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The officers sustained serious injuries,” the NYPD wrote on Twitter, adding a video of the attack.
Three officers violently attacked by protesters crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The officers sustained serious injuries.
This is not peaceful protest, this will not be tolerated. pic.twitter.com/cYuDX8G7ku
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 15, 2020
These are the injuries our officers sustained. pic.twitter.com/KI9wQKywHH
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 15, 2020
“These are the conditions your officers have to operate in every day while they continue to protect your neighborhoods,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea wrote on Twitter. “Such assaults are ALWAYS unacceptable, and should outrage us all.”
Monahan reportedly broke his finger after he was punched during the clashes with the counter-protesters, former NYPD Detective Rob O’Donnell wrote on Twitter.
“If the highest ranking member of the NYPD who has a 36,000 member Police Force at his side can be assaulted in broad daylight, where do you think you the average NYC Citizen stands if targeted by criminals?” O’Donnell wrote in another post.
The other two officers who were injured in the altercation were taken to a hospital to get stitches, police said. The clashes ended up with 37 people taken into custody.
Another video shared on Twitter shows an all-out brawl between officers and protesters, which police said occurred after the initial attack, Fox News reported.
Two men from the Bronx area have been charged so far, CBS New York reported. Several others have been issued desk-appearance tickets and most of the people arrested have received summonses. It is not clear how many protesters were injured during the clashes.
The confrontation happened hours before Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law a series of police accountability measures inspired by the deaths of George Floyd, Eric Garner, and other African American people.
The “Stop the Violence” march was initiated due to the sharp rise in gun violence across the city in recent months and many former NYPD officers, religious demonstrators, and supporters joined the march.
A Black Lives Matter activist who joined the counter-protest told CBS the “Stop the Violence” marches are too supportive of the police.
Some people in the pro-police group marched with a banner that said, “We Support the NYPD.” The leader of that group said they were calling for an end to a recent spate of violence, including the shooting death of a 1-year-old boy in Brooklyn.
“We are fed up and tired of seeing a 1-year-old shot, a 12-year-old paralyzed,” the leader of the march and president of the United Clergy Coalition, Bishop Gerald Seabrooks, told the station. “No, we need the police. What we’re saying is we don’t want police brutality.”
Wednesday’s demonstrations were the latest in a wave of protest activity across the country since Floyd died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis.
The first few nights of protests in New York City were marred by looting, unrest, and violence. Since then, protests have largely been peaceful, but have often been accompanied by violent rioters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.