New York City Councilwoman Bites Cop at Anti-Homeless Shelter Protest

A Brooklyn New York City councilwoman, Susan Zhuang, was arrested for biting a New York Police Department chief on Wednesday, after a protest against a new homeless shelter in Bensonhurst turned violent.Ms. Zhuang, a conservative Democratic councilwoman in her first term, was charged with felony assault, resisting arrest, and obstruction of government administration. Another demonstrator, Thanh Nguyen, was also arrested for assaulting a police officer, according to the police.A spokesman for the councilwoman told the Daily News that the councilwoman was trying to help an elderly woman “who was getting pushed into the barricade” when she was arrested.Photos of the officer’s arm show that the bite left a defined bite mark in the officer’s arm, which was also bleeding from the wound.An attorney for Ms. Zhuang said that she suffered “some injuries on herself that we will document before she goes home today” but that “we’re not making any allegations.”A complaint filed on the incident said that Ms. Zhuang and other protestors were told to stop pushing against barricades and towards the officers.After the warning, the complaint reads, Ms. Zhuang turned her head towards Deputy Police Chief Frank DiGiacomo and bit him while twisting her body as the officers handcuffed her. Mr. DiGiacomo went to a hospital after sustaining “substantial pain” from the bite, according to the Associated Press.A spokesman for the speaker of the City Council did not immediately say whether the councilwoman would be disciplined but that “violence is never acceptable” adding that “the Council will respect the processes of the NYPD and Brooklyn District Attorney with respect to this matter.”The protest where Ms. Zhuang bit the police officer was against what would be the first homeless shelter in Bensonhurst, if it is opened. The shelter is planned to provide substance abuse and mental health counseling to 150 homeless New York residents as well as vocational training.Ms. Zhuang’s behavior at the protest drew sharp criticism from other south Brooklyn Democrats, like Councilman Justice Brannan and State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who said the incident went against Ms. Zhuang’s “self-portrayal as a champion of law and order.”“Sowing division and vitriol never works and always backfires,” the Democrats wrote. “True leadership is about working to find solutions, not empty obstructionism that does nothing to address our city’s housing crisis or create safe places for homeless New Yorkers to live.”

New York City Councilwoman Bites Cop at Anti-Homeless Shelter Protest

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