A retired New York City Police Department officer was tackled to the ground and punched in the head after conversing with a man on a New York City sidewalk, according to a report Wednesday.
The former sergeant and a man who has been identified by police as Masterjadin Roman, 20, appeared to be talking until Roman hurled a bottle at the retiree’s head, according to video obtained by the New York Post. The sergeant then grappled with Roman until he was wrestled to the ground and hit over a dozen times in the head, the Post’s video shows.
Roman and another man appear to swipe the retiree’s phone and earpieces after the attack, according to the video.
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The 20-year-old kicked the NYPD veteran in the head one last time while he lay on the ground before departing the scene, the video shows. Roman was reportedly charged with aggressive panhandling and given a notice to appear instead of facing physical arrest, according to the Post.
A motive for the attack has not yet been determined by authorities, the Post reported.
The scuffle took place outside of a NYC deli in the Garment District, and one bystander appeared to assist the sergeant as he tried to regain his footing, the paper reported. (RELATED: Man Charged With Shoving 92-Year-Old Woman Has Been Arrested At Least 65 Times: NYPD)
Violence in the Boroughs is on the rise, as the city reported a 177% uptick in shootings, 59% increase in murders and precipitous upticks in both burglary and auto theft, according to July NYPD crime statistics that utilize 2019 as a comparison.
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