Nothing better to do? Eight NYPD cops surround and arrest man dressed in suit for allegedly smoking inside Union Square Park
- Footage showed the man being arrested just outside the park as stunned members of the public watched on
- The black suited man with glasses and polished shoes appeared shocked as his hands were cuffed behind his back and officers swarmed the scene
- Video of the arrest shows an office saying ‘this is the park, you can’t smoke inside the park’
A squad of eight NYPD officers has been filmed arresting a man just outside Union Square Park for allegedly smoking inside the public space.
The uniformed officers are seen surrounding the man while he asked why he is being arrested in footage posted on social media.
The suited man with glasses and polished shoes appears shocked as his hands are cuffed behind his back and officers swarm the scene.
A surprised member of the public also asks: ‘Why are you arresting this man? Why are you putting cuffs on him?’
An officer in the background is heard responding: ‘He was violating a rule of Union Square Park.’
The eight NYPD officers were filmed arresting a man wearing a suit just outside Union Square Park for allegedly was smoking within the park
The footage, posted to social media, shows the man being restrained by several officers while another, pictured, explained to members of the public why he is being taken to the precinct
When the woman questions the man’s location, saying ‘he’s not in the park’ another officer points to the pavement and tells her, ‘this is the park, you can’t smoke inside the park.’
The officer further explained how the man ‘did not want to give his identification so he’s going to be brought to the precinct where he’s going to show his identification.’
The man can then seen becoming visibly more angry, shouting at the officers: ‘What the f**k are you talking about? I was outside the park.’
‘You’re not treating me like a gentleman, you’re not even treating me like a human being right now.’
‘You didn’t try to have a civilized conversation with me. F**k you, just like that. You disrespected me.’
A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed the arrest was made on Tuesday, July 4, at about 7:30am.
‘Officers observed an individual smoking inside of Union Square Park. Identification was not provided to the officer upon request,’ the spokesperson said.
‘The 35 year-old male was transported to the 13th Precinct where his identification was verified and he was issued an Oath Summons for smoking and released.’
The incident from July 4 was captured and posted across social media leaving many asking if the cops had anything better to do
The man, wearing a smart black suit, glasses and polished shoes, appeared shocked as his hands were cuffed behind his back and officers swarmed the scene
An officer in the background can be heard responding: ‘He was violating a rule of Union Square Park.’
A surprised member of the public also asked officer ‘why are you arresting this man? Why are you putting cuffs on him?’
Social media users criticized the arrest, with one calling the action ‘a waste of time’ when ‘there is a lot of real crime going on.’
Another wrote on Twitter: ‘People getting thrown in front of subway trains and they have at least 6 cops arresting a guy over this c**p.’
The arrest came after a spate of serious crime including violent attacks on the subway left New Yorkers scared for the safety.
A career criminal allegedly slashed three women on the subway on Father’s Day.
Kemal Rideout, 28, is accused of slashing three women at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and 86th Street stations.
The first victim, Bianchelly Diplan, 19, was walking out of the 86th Street station on her way to Paris Baguette to pick up a cake when she felt the back of her leg get cut so deeply she required 19 stitches.
Another woman, 48, was slashed in the right leg in the same station on the platform before Rideout dashed back into the downtown 4-train around 4.15pm. Fifteen minutes later, Rideout allegedly attack a 28-year-old victim in the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station, police said.
The third victim was texting her boyfriend when she felt someone slash her.
Rideout was later arrested him on the corner of East 122nd Street and Second Avenue in East Harlem.
