The New York Police Department is investigating a video that went viral this week of a police cruiser apparently trying to sidestep a motorcyclist on a motorway.
Not much is known about the disturbing footage filmed on the Van Wyck Expressway, which runs between Queens and Brooklyn. NYPD said CBSNew York that they are aware of the video and are investigating the incident. The video was posted on May 14.
Cruisers do not turn on lights or sirens when harassing motorcyclists. From the looks of the footage, it looks more like a case of road rage than trying to arrest a suspect or get the motorcyclist off the highway. Especially the way the cruiser wriggled through three lanes and accelerated to get ahead of the motorcycle, only to brake sharply.
Former NYPD Detective Superintendent Robert Boyce says ABC7 Motorcycle riders shouldn’t be riding on the highway, but the officers’ actions are extremely disturbing. Boyce suspects some difficult consequences for the officer in the video:
“There were no sirens used, no lights at all, no PA asking the person to stop,” Boyce said.
Scooters on the highway are illegal — and that’s not only illegal, but dangerous.
“It doesn’t have the ability to accelerate or decelerate and it’s very dangerous because it’s so small and you’re blind, a motorcycle is completely different,” Boyce said.
Maybe the right idea was to pull over the scooter, but the NYPD’s tactic involved Boyce.
“Some things like the mass gatherings you’ve seen, that’s inherently dangerous, it can cause someone to get hurt,” Boyce said. “It is not only dangerous for the police or motorcyclists but also for everyone on that highway.”
The police certainly cannot avoid acting like assholes when behind the wheel. NYPD police park their patrol cars directly on the sidewalkto the detriment of New Yorkers. Two policemen in Detroit covered his background in a fatal collision after pursuing an inappropriate vehicle. Another person in the same city run a stop sign and then arrest the other driver for the collision the officer caused. The police intentionally caused a car accident, only to find out the driver they hit is not their suspect. Officer on duty ran over and killed a 12-year-old girl while driving 95 miles per hour through the school zone in Los Angeles in February, the same city experienced a Drunk driving pandemic among law enforcement officials.
This is a new story and we will update it as we know more.
