NYPD officer was placed on desk duty after video that went viral showed him punching a man to the ground for not socially distancing.
Video shows the officer making an arrest on Saturday in the East Village on 9th St around 5:30 p.m.
The officer threatened a bystander with a Taser and then punched him to the ground while yelling, “Move the f back right now. Don’t flex.”
According to the NYPD they claim that 33-year-old Donni Wright, had been ordered to disperse but he instead “took a fighting stance.”
Officer Francisco Garcia, holstered his Taser and grabbed Wright, punching him multiple times in the face and body and then using his leg to pin him to the ground by the neck.
Garcia was placed on desk duty and is being investigated.
Saw the video from the Lower East Side and was really disturbed by it. The officer involved has been placed on modified duty and an investigation has begun. The behavior I saw in that video is simply not acceptable.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 3, 2020