Police are looking for a suspect who ambushed an on-duty NYPD officer from behind, pummeling the officer with a closed fist, during a pro-Palestinian protest in Lower Manhattan last month.
Police sources said the officer was on the job, trying to quell a disorderly crowd during the protest at Ann Street and Broadway on Feb. 29 at approximately 8:35 p.m. when the heavy-handed perp came up from behind and struck the officer with a closed fist.
The officer was brought to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries. Meanwhile, the suspect fled the scene on foot to parts unknown, according to law enforcement sources. So far no arrests have been made and no weapons were recovered at the scene, police said.
The suspect was last seen wearing all black and a red- and white-colored scarf.
The incident, which was unprovoked, is only one in a string of attacks on members of the NYPD since the start of the year. Most recently, a group of migrants were charged in a violent beating of police officers in Midtown in January.
The attacks are nothing new. Assaults on police in NYC are rising, according to a recent article in the Daily Mail, with more than 4,000 NYPD cop attacks by suspects in 2023.
In the same area—lower Manhattan—another suspect is still at large for brutally assaulting a man with his fists during a similar unprovoked attack.
Police released photos and are asking for assistance in identifying the perpetrator involved in February’s assault.
Anyone with any information regarding the assault is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish speakers, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.