A woman riding a scooter was snatched off the streets of New York City in front of a protest she organized against police violence by armed, unbadged, unidentified men as police riding bicycles created a blockade.
NYPD is out here kidnapping in ordinary clothes and driving away in ordinary vehicles. And it’s not even Halloween yet.pic.twitter.com/LNLTOFAnOF
— Jermaine (@JermaineWatkins) July 29, 2020
Multiple videos on Twitter documented the incident, during which at least one of the men from the van, hand on what appeared to be a weapon, ran threateningly civilians. At no time in the video is it clear that the plainclothes men identified themselves as police officers.
The men in the van do not wear badges or identifying emblems. The van has a civilian license plate.
The NYPD Twitter account stated that the woman abducted was wanted for the damage of surveillance cameras around a city park. It gave no rationale for using an unmarked van and plainclothes officers to arrest the individual, given that there were uniformed officers in the area at the time. Nor did the NYPD explain why such extreme tactics were needed for this individual accused of vandalism.
In regard to a video on social media that took place at 2 Ave & 25 St, a woman taken into custody in an unmarked van was wanted for damaging police cameras during 5 separate criminal incidents in & around City Hall Park. The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks & bottles. pic.twitter.com/2jGD3DT3eV
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2020