Patrick Pogan’s promising career as a New York City police officer lasted a mere three weeks before he was stripped of his badge and placed on probation.
The 23-year-old son of a highly respected NYPD detective was caught on video body slamming a bicyclist in Times Square for no apparent reason during a Critical Mass bike ride last July.
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Pogan charged the cyclist with attempted assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Christoper Long, a 29-year-old New Jersey man, ended up spending 26 hours in jail.
Pogan would have gotten away with his crime had it not been for the anonymous Youtube video which proved that it was actually him who assaulted Long.
Now the aggressive cop is facing up to four years in prison for falsifying business records, filing a false instrument, third-degree assault, second-degree harassment and making a punishable false written statement.
The video is so blatant that I won’t even use the word allegedly in the above sentence. He is due in court on Feb. 4.
Shockingly, the NYPD has yet to dismiss Pogan despite the overwhelming evidence that he abused his power. Apparently, family ties within the department carries a degree of protection.
Assistant District Attorney Richard Buckheit said Pogan, whose father is a retired detective, was suspended from the police force. Because he is a probationary officer, Pogan could be dismissed from the force even if he is cleared of all criminal charges.
And Pogan’s lawyer said that the officer actually directed Long to stop because he was “pedaling recklessly down Seventh Avenue”, according to Newsday.
“He saw the individual in this case violate the laws he was instructed to enforce and he took appropriate police action,” London said after the arraignment. “He didn’t randomly go after this guy.”
Sure, and Long also rammed his bike into the officer, as he stated in his arrest report. The Youtube video has received almost 2 million views since it was posted online July 27th.
It is unclear whether Pogan’s uniformed partner, who clearly witnessed the incident, will also be charged for not reporting the incident.
Another officer, Sgt. Timothy Horohoe, is also under investigation for excessive force against citizens during a Critical Mass ride which was also caught on video.
