Councilwoman arrested after biting NYPD deputy chief during protest: Source
According to the senior police official, Susan Zhuang bit Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo in the arm, describing it as a “pretty nasty bite.” NBC New York has reached out to Zhuang’s office for comment
What to Know
New York City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang was arrested for allegedly biting the deputy chief of the NYPD during a protest in Brooklyn, a senior police official said.
According to police sources, Zhuang, a Democrat representing the 43rd district, was protesting the construction of a new homeless shelter at the corner of 25th Avenue and 86th Street in Bensonhurst.
According to the senior police official, Zhuang bit Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo in the arm, describing it as a “pretty nasty bite.”
New York City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang was arrested and accused allegedly biting the deputy chief of the NYPD during a protest in Brooklyn, a senior police official said.
According to police sources, Zhuang, a Democrat representing the 43rd district, was protesting the construction of a new homeless shelter at the corner of 25th Avenue and 86th Street in Bensonhurst.
NBC New York obtained video of the scene, which shows a multitude of protesters demonstrating in front of the construction site. Additionally, videos circulating online seem to show a group of protesters trying to dismantle the barricade, while another video allegedly shows the councilwoman arrested and cuffed to the metal barricade gate.
According to the senior police official, Zhuang bit Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo on the arm, describing it as a “pretty nasty bite.”
Prior to her alleged arrest, Zhuang posted on X a video of protesters asking to see the permits for the construction of the homeless shelter, alleging there are none.
“There is no permits [sic],” Zhuang writes. “Mayor office allowed construction at 5 a.m. in our neighborhood.”
The founder of the Guardian Angels and former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa also posted on X video of the protesters trying to dismantle the barricade.
“Local residents in Bensonhurst are protesting a homeless shelter that was being opened at 5AM with NO consent from the community, or their Council Member Susan Zhuang! Zhuang stood up for her community, and was arrested this morning protesting this shelter,” Sliwa’s post reads in part. “WE STAND WITH SUSAN ZHUANG and the entire Bensonhurst community against unsafe shelters in residential communities!”
Zhuang was charged with assault, resisting arrest and obstructing government administration, a police spokesperson said. Attorney information for the councilwoman was not immediately known. A spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorney said Zhuang had not yet been arraigned as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Police Benevolence Association, the union representing police officers, said they were shocked by the reported violence against the NYPD, and that after a full and fair investigation, Zhuang should face accountability.
When contacted by NBC New York, Zhuang’s office said they had no comment and that they had not talked to the councilmember since her arrest.
The protests continued for much of Wednesday. The group said they’ve been there every day for months. Residents in the neighborhood said they worry about the impact of a homeless shelter in the community, and that housing ends homelessness, not shelters.
“This is right in their backyards, in the middle of a residential neighborhood. There are better places to put this homeless shelter than right here,” said Steve Chan, who is running for the New York State Senate seat for District 17.
Others were concerned about the noise caused by the construction, and the early hours it starts.
“And before 6:00 a.m., the trucks came, they start jackhammering the sidewalks. Before 6:00 in the morning,” said Larry He, the chief of staff for New York State Assemblymember William Colton.
A City Hall spokesperson told NBC New York that the Adams administration is committed to building the shelter, saying there are none in the community and it would be the first of its kind. There will be around-the-clock security at the shelter, the spokesperson noted, and added that the construction site does have valid permits.
Construction is scheduled to be completed later in 2024. City Hall said it will keep open lines of communication to address the neighborhood’s needs.
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Elected official charged with biting NYPD officer
The Democratic New York City Council member is accused of biting a deputy police chief during a protest against a planned homeless shelter in her district.
New York City Council Member Susan Zhuang leads a rally outside City Hall against a proposed homeless shelter in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on May 23.
NEW YORK — City Council member Susan Zhuang was arrested early Wednesday on charges she bit a deputy police chief, while protesting against a planned homeless shelter in her southern Brooklyn district.
Video obtained by POLITICO showed Zhuang being led away in handcuffs by cops. Another video shows Zhuang and other demonstrators pushing metal barriers up against police officers. Yet another shows Zhuang resisting an NYPD officer’s effort to handcuff her.
“Councilwoman Zhuang has been a great partner to the New York City Police Department for a long time,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “But actions today, of assaulting one of our police officers, a deputy chief, by biting him viciously in the arm, I can’t explain it right now.”
An NYPD spokesperson said Zhuang was expected to face a felony count of assault in the second degree, plus misdemeanor charges of assault, obstruction of governmental administration, and resisting arrest.
Zhuang’s communications director, Felix Tager, confirmed she was arrested and being held at the precinct as of 9:50 a.m. Tager said “Zhuang was arrested after trying to protect an 80-year-old woman” who was being pushed up against the barricades.
Chell disagreed, saying the woman had laid herself under the barricade.
“When we asked her to leave, she said she wasn’t feeling well. So what we did as an agency, we called an ambulance for her,” he added. “It was at that time, the barricades started getting pushed.”
Zhuang, a first-term Democrat, was leading a demonstration against what she incorrectly claimed was unpermitted construction on the site that will be demolished to build a homeless shelter at 2501 86th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Photos posted online show a permit was posted later in the morning, and a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams’ administration confirmed the owner had the proper permitting.
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed there were a number of arrests at the site in addition to Zhuang’s but could not yet provide details. The NYPD said about 150 people were protesting this morning, but Tager said the crowd had since grown to around 1,000 people.
Zhuang and political allies, including Assemblymembers William Colton and Lester Chang, have been fighting against the proposed shelter for homeless men for months, leading a number of massive rallies in the neighborhood with a large Chinese American population, as well as one outside City Hall in May.
Zhuang has argued the shelter would hurt public safety, and instead affordable housing should be built on the site, a closed medical office.
The city Department of Homeless Services told FOX 5 they have been communicating with neighbors since November about the site, which is directly under the 25th Avenue D train station, and that the area does not currently have any shelters.
“The Adams administration is committed to building this much needed shelter — the first of its kind in this community — which will offer New Yorkers experiencing homelessness the critical care they need to get back on their feet,” William Fowler, a City Hall spokesperson, said in a statement to POLITICO.
“Working with our nonprofit partners, we will provide robust support to help future shelter residents stabilize their lives and move into permanent housing. We maintain open lines of communication with the community and remain committed to ongoing engagement to address the neighborhoods’ needs,” Fowler added.
Zhuang is a member of the conservative Common Sense Caucus, along with Republican council members. She was endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association in her run for the open council seat last year. But now, the police union said it’s “shocked.”
“There should be no double standard in this case,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said in a statement. “After a full and fair investigation, Councilmember Zhuang and anyone else involved must face full accountability for their conduct.”
Unlike the state Legislature, the City Council does not automatically expel members, for a felony conviction. But the council would be expected to open an ethics investigation to consider punishment.
In a statement, a council spokesperson said “violence is never acceptable,” and that the body would be seeking to learn more about what happened.
But the Committee on Standards and Ethics would likely not act until the case is resolved in court. Last year, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez dropped a gun possession charge against City Council member Inna Vernikov because there wasn’t proof the gun was operable. Vernikov was not arrested at the counter-protest where she was pictured with a gun, and was allowed to turn herself in hours later.
Vernikov was reelected after her arrest, and her popularity did not appear to wane.
Similarly, a southern Brooklyn political operative who was granted anonymity to speak about a still-developing case, suggested this arrest could help Zhuang politically.
“This is the biggest Chinese political issue in New York City right now, which the mayor is going to have to contend with as well,” the operative said. “She’s going to become like a star in her district after this arrest against the shelter.”
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Councilwoman accused of biting NYPD officer at Brooklyn homeless shelter protest
Councilwoman arrested during protest against shelter in Brooklyn
N.J. Burkett has the latest on the arrest.
BENSONHURST (WABC) — A councilmember has been arrested after allegedly biting a police chief in the arm during a protest in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
It happened at 25th Avenue and 86th Street during a protest against against a proposed men’s shelter in the Bensonhurst neighborhood.
Councilwoman Susan Zhuang, 38, is charged with second and third-degree assault, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and second-degree harassment.
She was arraigned in court Wednesday evening, and released on her own recognizance.
Borough Brooklyn South Deputy Chief of Patrol Frank DiGiacomo was checked out at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn for a large bite in his arm.
A spokesperson for Zhuang said the first-term Democratic councilwoman was arrested after trying to protect an 80-year-old woman who was being pushed against barriers.
Zhuang showed her bruised arms off to the media while her attorney stated that she will not be speaking out.
Her lawyer says they are confident that the charges will be dropped once the “full story comes out.”
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell sounded stunned.
“Councilwoman Zhuang has been a great partner with the NYPD for a long time,” Chell said. “But the actions today, by assaulting one of our police officers, a deputy chief, by biting him viciously in the arm, I can’t explain it right now.”
Three other officers were also injured. One was treated for injuries to both knees, another to his neck.
Nine people were arrested in total, including Zhuang, for their roles in the protest.
Tensions have been simmering in Gravesend for months, after the City of New York announced plans to build a homeless shelter for 150 men on 86th Avenue. Opponents say it’s too close to schools, day care centers and senior centers.
Residents say they’re worried about crime and unstable people.
Local elected leaders are insisting that the city needs a different approach.
“Because the city did not communicate with the community, people feel frustrated, this is a homeless shelter that is built in the worst possible neighborhood that’s been proposed,” said William Colton, D-NYS Assembly District #47. “There’s a church within 200 feet. There’s four or five schools.”
A spokesperson with City Hall said Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is committed to building the shelter which is a first of its kind in the community to offer those experiencing homelessness the care they need to get back on their feet:
“The owner of this building has the proper permitting required to demolish the existing building. Every community must have the resources they need to support their most vulnerable neighbors, and this community has no shelters. Working with our nonprofit partners, we will provide robust support to help future shelter residents stabilize their lives and move into permanent housing. We maintain open lines of communication with the community and remain committed to ongoing engagement to address the neighborhoods’ needs.”
PBA President Patrick Hendry released a statement saying that they are “extremely shocked” by what happened:
“We are extremely shocked by the reported violence against NYPD members at todays protest in Brooklyn, especially because Councilmember Susan Zhuang has been a steadfast supporter of police officers during her time in the Council. There is never any excuse or justification for assaulting a police officer. There should be no double standard in this case. After a full and fair investigation, Councilmember Zhuang and anyone else involved must face full accountability for their conduct.”
The city council could discipline Zhuang, but for now, they are seeking more information and will wait for the investigations to run their course.
“Violence is never acceptable and it is always important to respect city workers doing their jobs,” a council spokesperson said. “We have seen the public footage circulating of today’s incident, and will be seeking to learn more about the details. The Council will respect the processes of the NYPD and Brooklyn District Attorney with respect to this matter.”
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今年刚选上纽约市政委员的庄文怡（毕业于上海财经大学、纽约州立大学奥斯威戈分校、南印第安纳大学罗曼商学院，民主党，代表南布鲁克林），抗议要在其选区建无家可归者收容所，与警察发生冲突，咬了警察副局长，被控犯有二级袭击罪、三级袭击罪、拒捕、妨碍公务。
纽约市警察局巡警局长约翰·切尔在周三下午的新闻发布会上表示：“庄议员长期以来一直是纽约市警察局的优秀合作伙伴。但今天袭击我们的一名警官（一名副局长）并狠狠咬伤他的手臂的行为，我现在无法解释。”
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New York City Council
District 43
Susan Zhuang
Sunset Park (Central), Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend (West), Sunset Park (East)-Borough Park (West), Borough Park, Mapleton-Midwood (West), Gravesend (East)-Homecrest
Susan Zhuang has worked diligently to serve the diverse communities of Southern Brooklyn for over a decade. She advocates for pressing issues such as public safety, equitable education, housing, and senior services.
Susan was born in Baipu, China, and later came to the United States in 2008 as an international student in pursuit of the American Dream. Susan earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from the State University of New York at Oswego and later an MBA from the University of Southern Indiana.
After moving to New York City, she volunteered at the Office of New York State Assemblyman William Colton, where she used her background in finance to help senior citizens and small businesses file tax returns. Driven by her passion for public service, Susan joined Assemblyman Colton’s Office as Chief of Staff in 2014. Since then, Susan has worked tirelessly on issues facing the under-represented families of Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, and Sunset Park.
In addition to her public service experiences, Susan has organized numerous community protests, meetings, and hearings. Susan is an active member of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association and has dedicated herself to voter education, youth leadership, and civic engagement.
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