Last Wednesday, an altercation between a plainclothes NYPD officer and another man evolved into a boxing match between the pair. The event was caught on cell phone video by a friend of the man which has since gone viral, prompting the NYPD to investigate further.
NBC New York reported on the incident last Friday, which involved the unnamed officer and a man named Saykour George. George’s friend, Jun Iceaa, recorded the situation and posted the clip on Facebook where it skyrocketed to over a million views last Thursday. The attempted arrest occurred in Harlem near 131st Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Iceaa old NBC that he and George left a pizza restaurant and were headed back to his George’s home.
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One of the officers asks the man, Saykour George, for his ID, the video shows. The NYPD said later police saw that George had a knife, prompting the stop.
Jun Iceaa, the friend who shot the video, said George had small pocketknife in his pocket, but “the way [the officer] really approached us, was like he really had a grudge against my man, like he know him from somewhere,” he said.
The video shows police attempting to take George into custody, and he refuses.
“I’m just trying to do my job,” the officer says, taking out his handcuffs and telling George they can talk further in the police car.
The situation grows intense as George shoves the officer away, which turns into a shoving match. The officer then hauls off and punches George, who then squares up. George is punched at least twice more before other officers swarm in and take George down to the ground.
Iceaa claims the officer never once said George was under arrest.
Watch the video below.
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Photo: NBC 4/Jun Iceaa
