BY GRANT LANCASTER
An internal NYPD investigation recommended disciplinary action for several officers involved in a May 2 arrest that turned violent, with criminal charges expected next week.
The plainclothes officers were in the process of breaking up a group that was not following social distancing guidelines when they spotted a bag of marijuana.
While scuffling with the original suspects, Officer Francisco Garcia tried to keep an onlooker, Donni Wright, from intervening, advancing with his taser raised before taking Wright to the ground and hitting him multiple times, pinning him down by the neck and shoulders in an incident recorded by bystanders.
In all, two men and a woman were arrested, including Wright. Garcia was placed on desk duty as a response.
New York State law sets the guidelines for the disciplinary proceedings.
