The New York Police Department is receiving widespread criticism after officers injured an 84-year old man—who doesn’t speak English and didn’t understand police orders—for the crime of jaywalking.
Kang Wong committed jaywalking at an Upper West Side intersection in New York City around 5 p.m. on Sunday, according to the New York Post. He is a resident of the area.
An officer soon approached him and tried to write him a ticket. But Wong, who speaks only broken English, didn’t understand what was happening, and continued walking away from the officer. When the officer tried to grab him, he pushed back. This prompted the fury of several cops, who descended on Wong and threw him against a wall.
The elderly man came away from the encounter with a bloodied face. (RELATED: Cop was at fault in car crash, but guess who got blamed)
Wong was handcuffed and taken to the hospital and then the police station.
Wong’s 41-year old son met his father at the station. He was shocked by what police had done.
“Oh, great! Beating up on an 84-year old man for jaywalking,” said the son in a statement.
Later that night, Wong was released, but will face charges of jaywalking, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct.
The incident was witnessed by several reporters who were on-scene because a pedestrian had been killed when crossing the street hours earlier.
Media reports suggest cops were trying to get serious about efforts to prevent jaywalking in the area, given the death of the pedestrian. Two other pedestrians were struck by cars and killed near that same location in the last few days. (RELATED: Cop squeezed kid’s genitals so hard, he is now in a wheelchair and possibly infertile)
The incident is being investigated by the department.