NYPD Chief Terence Monahan and several other officers were left bloodied and bruised, as anti-police protesters turned violent on the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday. Chief Department Monahan had to be hospitalized with a broken finger, while three others were severely injured after a protester rushed toward a group of officers with a cane and started bashing them.
Monahan, who had taken a knee last month in a show of solidarity with protesters, became one of the targets during Wednesday's 'Defund the Police' protest. NYPD ended up arresting around 40 protesters on charges of assaulting the police and vandalizing federal property.
Protest Turns Wild
A peaceful pro-police protest march was being held at Lower Manhattan which also included a contingent from the Sergeants Benevolent Association, according to Tony Herbert, one of the organizers of the march. Monahan was marching along with other cops led by local clergy. However, once the march reached the Brooklyn Bridge, anti-cop activists jumped off the walk to the roadway and turned violent.
Surveillance camera footage posted on social media by the NYPD following the clash shows a man on the Brooklyn Bridge's pedestrian walkway rushing towards a group of cops with a cane intending to bash their heads. The video also shows Monahan climbing a fence to trade blows with one of the anti-cop protesters during the brawl as other bicycled cops and counter-demonstrators engaged in a scuffle.
"Three officers violently attacked by protesters crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The officers sustained serious injuries," the NYPD tweeted. "This is not peaceful protest, this will not be tolerated," read another Tweet.
The protest left at least seven officers injured including Monahan. In one of the videos, an officer's head is seen cracked open, while another's face is covered with blood. One of the officers suffered an eye socket fracture while most had head injuries.
Unrest Grips New York City
Following the clash, 37 people were arrested, including 23 men and 14 women, on charges of assaulting the police and destroying federal property. However, NYPD is yet to arrest the man who carried the cane and assaulted the officers.
The clash took place just next to the borough where a one-year-old was shot dead on Sunday. Much like other parts of the country, New York City has been rocked with protests and clashes following the killing of George Floyd on May 25.
Also, New York City has seen a spike in gun violence this year. Statistics show gun arrests have plunged 67 percent over the past 28 days, following the June 15 disbanding of the department's undercover crime unit. However, except for the first few days, protests calling for the end of police brutality and racism against the black have largely been peaceful, with Wednesday's incident being an exception.
