Disturbing video uploaded to social media last week shows dozens of New York Police Department officers dragging what appears to be an unconscious man out of a building before tossing him on the pavement, drawing cries of concern from angry neighbors.
According to Gothamist, a six-minute clip of the incident was posted to Facebook last Tuesday with the caption, “That’s mess up what they did to lil man just for a probation violation.” A shorter two-minute clip shared on Twitter showed the moment a group of officers dragged the man’s limp body from the property through the crowd of shouting residents, who gathered at the chaotic scene.
“They knocked him out!” one person shouts. “They have no evidence!”
In the video, officers place the man, later identified a 22-year-old Keith Woody, on the ground next to a parked police cruiser for over a minute before lifting his body into the back of the car. Onlookers continue screaming for police to call an ambulance, as Woody appears to need immediate medical attention.
“Y’all going to put him in there like that?” one resident asks repeatedly, as officers hover over the handcuffed man’s body. “He can’t even stand up.”
Neither video captured the young man’s arrest, and it’s unclear exactly when and where the incident occurred. At least one of the police cruisers seen in the video has been linked to the 32nd Precinct, however, which includes Harlem.
In a statement to Gothamist, NYPD Director of Communications Peter Donald said Woody was “wanted for an active parole warrant for criminal possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment.” Donald said the man was approached by police last Monday but fled to the roof, down a fire escape and onto the street. He was eventually apprehended and taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for a medical evaluation.
“He was released later that day after it was determined that he sustained no injuries,” Donald told Gothamist. “He was charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, and criminal trespass.”
It’s still unclear why Woody was unconscious during his arrest, however.
Watch more in the clip below.
https://twitter.com/AchmatX/status/1021506411149316098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1021506411149316098&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fgothamist.com%2F2018%2F07%2F24%2Fnypd_video_unconscious_teen.php
