Wow. Handed him a tissue then drove off. Sounds eerily familiar...
2010-07-22 20:22:11
11
New York City police officer charged with hitting a bicyclist..
Did anybody see this?
Why can someone who more than 'just' hit a cyclist, but actually 'killed' a cyclist, be charged here in Pennsylvania (thinking of Don Parker)?
Just wondering....
NEW YORK (AP) -- A New York City police officer has been charged with hitting a bicyclist with his police car and driving off.
The Brooklyn district attorney's office says Officer Louis Ramos was charged Tuesday with assault, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
According to a criminal complaint, Ramos hit the cyclist June 14. The complaint says Ramos got out of the car, pulled the cyclist to the curb, handed him a tissue and then drove off without reporting it or calling an ambulance.
The accident was captured on surveillance cameras.
Ramos has pleaded not guilty. He has been suspended without pay. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association declined to comment.
The cyclist was treated for cuts, bruises and a fractured wrist.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/07/21/us/AP-US-Officer-Accident-Charges.html?hp
2010-07-22 20:11:51
It took NYC five weeks to charge Officer Ramos, according to the article, even with surveillance video and a living victim around to recount anything that wasn't on video. Maybe it takes longer when it's harder to reconstruct exactly what happened, and when the potential charges are more serious. I wouldn't want to see a botched prosecution of Don Parker's killer because they didn't wait for a thorough investigation. (Don't drug and alcohol tests alone commonly take weeks?)
2010-07-22 20:38:19
The fact there needs to be an "thorough investigation" is a problem in and of itself. There doesn't seem to be any doubt about who the killer was or how they did it, so what exactly needs to be investigated?
If I walked up and shot someone in a car, and told the cops it happened "accidentally" while I was messing with my shoe, would there be any investigation? Any extenuating circumstances?
2010-07-22 23:25:53
2010-07-23 04:54:35
WOW!
2010-07-23 14:59:58
Wow, the text that accompanies the video really vilifies the officers involved.
Surveillance footage posted by 1010 WINS shows the officers hit Chan, then exit their vehicle for about four minutes before driving away. According to the Daily News, during this time the officers "helped the victim to the sidewalk and gave him tissues to clean the cuts and abrasions on his face, arms and legs." Both explained their failure to report the collision by claiming that they thought Chan had fallen off his bike after being startled by the lights and sirens of the patrol car.
Or are we to believe the officers' version of events, and give Officer Ramos and his partner compassion points for stopping (for four minutes, while en route to an emergency requiring their use of lights and a siren) to aid a cyclist who fell off his bicycle?
2010-07-23 15:28:51
Well... were they really on their way to an 'emergency' ?
I've seen many Police cars use their sirens and lights just to flight to traffic for no-emergency....
Just saying....
If that was true -they were on their way to an emergency, I would feel somewhat better about the incident (meaning they were on a rush, were focused on that, hit the cyclist, and stopped to try to somewhat-help him), but not reporting it was wrong....
2010-07-23 16:12:51
bikeygirls right- if the officers were, indded, on their way to an emergency, then the problem was nto reporting the accident.
Seeing the footage makes me wonder. It seems that the bike should have been able to hear the police siren.
Was the siren really on? Or just the lights? Did the bicyclist have earphones on?
2010-07-23 16:24:04
Well.... it it wasn't an emergency, and the police men were just 'joyriding' trying to cut traffic.... that is major wrong
2010-07-23 18:35:16
What I find interesting is that they're being charged with "reckless driving, reckless assault" and they actually hit the brakes to try and avoid hitting the guy, yet here the guy isn't even looking at the road and has yet to be charged with anything.
2010-07-26 12:52:07