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Vincent D’Andraia, 28, of Long Island, was charged Tuesday, June 9, for the incident that allegedly took place on Friday, May 29, near the Barclays Center, said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
D'Andraia, who is assigned to the 73rd Precinct in Brownsville, Brooklyn, was charged after he was captured on a video recording that has been widely circulated, shoving a woman to the ground who was peacefully protesting.
He was charged on a criminal complaint released Tuesday with:
- Assault
- Criminal mischief
- Harassment
- Menacing
“I fully support the long-held American tradition of non-violent protest," said Gonzalez. "As District Attorney, I cannot tolerate the use of excessive force against anyone exercising this Constitutionally guaranteed right.
"This is especially true of those who are sworn to protect us and uphold the law. I am deeply troubled by this unnecessary assault. We will now seek to hold this defendant accountable.”
Gonzalez said that, according to the investigation, D'Andraia, was walking with a contingent of police officers assigned to monitor a large crowd of demonstrators when he told the 20-year-old woman, who was in the street to move.
When she asked why, D’Andraia allegedly smacked her cell phone out of her hand, and violently shoved her to the ground, according to the investigation.
On the video, she can be seen rolling on the street and into a curb. Meanwhile, D’Andraia and fellow officers can be seen to continue walking, the DA said.
The woman, identified as Dounya Zoyer, went to the hospital after the encounter suffering from a concussion.
She later took to social media to complain about the incident and demanded that the officer be charged.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said last week that D'Andraia would be suspended without pay while an investigation was underway.
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