A Buffalo Deputy Police Commissioner was caught on camera shoving a young Black woman to the ground, seemingly unprovoked.
Police Commissioner Erika Shields called the video “concerning” and has launched a full review of the incident.
Footage from July 11 showed Black partygoers walking along Chippewa Street in the downtown area.
Several officers were scattered around, conducting crowd control, when a female pedestrian walked past Deputy Commissioner Craig Macy without even glancing his way. In the brief clip circulating on social media, Macy pushed her with such force that she fell backward onto the sidewalk as onlookers gasped.
It’s unclear what prompted Macy to shove the woman, or if she suffered any injuries. After she stood up, Macy walked toward her again, but a second cop stepped in between them and steered her away from the scene.
That Saturday night, Macy was reportedly serving on a task force overseeing the Taste of Buffalo community event and a city-approved dance party.
Sources say he and other officers had been responding to reports of a large fight and shots fired on Chippewa Street when the incident happened.
Buffalo Police released footage from Deputy Commissioner Macy’s body camera showing the vantage point on Tuesday.
“The footage makes it clear that the Deputy Commissioner was leading from the front and responding to an intense physical altercation between multiple individuals, including the woman who was pushed back as she attempted to re-engage with other individuals involved in the altercation, said Shields in a statement to WGRZ.
‘Unacceptable’
Many social media commenters who watched the viral clip were shocked and called the shove “unacceptable.”
“He assaulted her for looking at him while walking?” alleged one outraged person on Instagram. “He needs to be sued along with the department!”
Another chimed in, “Not okay. He was overreacting.” One observer noted, “He caught her completely off guard. She seemed to be looking past him towards the door she was walking towards.”
For some locals, the incident also revived memories from 2020. A few pointed to a case involving two Buffalo officers who were filmed shoving an elderly George Floyd protester to the ground, fracturing his skull.
The city suspended the officers without pay, and prosecutors charged them with felony second-degree assault, but a court later cleared them of any wrongdoing.
City Council members who know Macy were surprised by the video.
Leah Halton-Pope, Ellicott District councilwoman and council majority leader, told WBEN radio, “Deputy Commissioner Macy has always been level-headed, and this was a little bit shocking to see in a video, but that’s one portion. I don’t know what happened before the video. I don’t know what happened after the video.”
Police Commissioner Shields, for her part, is staying tight-lipped. She told BTPM News she would not comment further until the investigation concludes.
Shields is the former Police Chief of Atlanta. She resigned in 2020 following the officer-involved shooting death of Rayshard Brooks.
