The number of arrests continue to grow stemming from the brawl between a group of motorcycle riders and the driver of an SUV. Recently a NYPD undercover detective was arrested and charged with rioting and criminal mischief for his part in the attack. However, prosecutors upgraded the charges against him after reviewing more video footage that was not made public.
The officer is a ten-year veteran of the police force, and was allegedly seen kicking the rear passenger door of the Range Rover involved in the incident, and he was allleged to have been seen breaking the rear window with his fist. Prosecutors were also troubled by the fact that he came forward several days after the incident occurred and gave statements that were contradicted by the video.
According to the New York Times, the undercover detective was off-duty at the time of the incident, but had been working to infiltrate criminal organizations to gather information. As such, during his arraignment, no photography was allowed, and the officer kept his identity concealed as he left the courthouse. (It was reported that pictures of him have surfaced on the Internet).
In the meantime, the detective now faces of criminal assault and gang assault. He has been suspended without pay. His attorney maintains that the charges are unwarranted, and that his client did not break the rear window as alleged. He claims that the window was already broken when he punched it.
In all, seven motorcyclists have been arrested and charged with crimes, including assault, possession of a weapon and gang assault.
Source: NY Times.com, Charges upgraded against police detective in motorcyclists' attack on SUV, October 9, 2013