by Jake Dima and Spencer Landis
Approximately 111 New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers have been injured in demonstrations across NYC’s five boroughs since June 10, a law enforcement spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
A total of 461 NYPD officers have been injured since the start of violent demonstrations on May 26 that followed the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, NYPD spokesperson Sgt. Mary Frances O’Donnell told the DCNF in an email.
NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Ben Tucker told the city council on June 10 approximately 350 officers had sustained injuries since the start of the unrest, according to NBC 4. Since his remarks, around 111 additional officers were hurt by demonstrators, according to O’Donnell.
A total of 305 officers have been admitted to hospitals and released since Floyd’s death with 47 law enforcement personnel still out of work due to injuries, O’Donnell said. Seven officers have been recently admitted to medical centers and another 151 refused medical assistance, despite sustaining wounds, the spokesman wrote in the email.
NYPD officers have been hit by cars and pelted by a variety of objects, according to NBC 4. One policeman was struck so hard in the head with a brick that it cracked a heavy-duty riot helmet. Another needed 10 stitches to close a laceration on his head after a glass bottle was hurled at him, the local outlet reported in June.
Police Chief Terence Monahan and three other high-ranking NYPD officers were attacked by demonstrators on the Brooklyn Bridge in mid-July after trying to make an arrest. Monahan sustained a broken finger and two other policemen were left bloodied, according to the Associated Press.
NYPD officials attacked, bloodied at Brooklyn Bridge by rioters. https://t.co/n0URfrNXEn via @nypmetro
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) July 15, 2020
The NYPD has come under fire in the past months for controversial incidents involving clashes with demonstrators. A NYC officer was charged with assault in June after he was seen on video shoving a young female protester to the ground, according to NBC News.
The department also faced backlash when video surfaced of an NYPD police cruiser driving through a group of protesters who blocked a main road.
An NYPD police cruiser drives through a group of protesters.
pic.twitter.com/4D513Huy43— Chloe Salsameda (@ChloeSalsameda) May 31, 2020
Crime has skyrocketed in NYC, as the month of July saw a 177% increase in shooting incidents and a 59% increase in murders compared to 2019, according NYPD crime statistics released last week.
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Jake Dima and Spencer Landis are reporters for The Daily Caller News Foundation.
