An NYC police officer has been stripped of his gun and badge after a video went viral showing him violenting arresting a black man for not social distancing.
Officer Francis X. Garcia was seen in the video in plain clothes, pointing a taser at a man before punching and slapping him to the ground. That man was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer.
Police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea, said that the officer was placed on modified duty while an investigation was opened into his actions.
Shea said that the altercation began when the officer was trying to enforce social distancing guidelines, though Garcia was also seen in the video without a protective mask.
Commissioner Shea said after seeing the video, “I think we gotta be better.”
Along with the man, two others were arrested during the altercation, including a 31-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman. They were both charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of disorderly conduct, according to a press release. The 31-year-old man was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the video, “What I saw was absolutely unacceptable, and obviously discipline was swift by the NYPD.”
