A New York cop who was captured on video shoving a man off his bike during a cycle protest has left the force.
A spokesman for New York Police Department (NYPD) said Officer Patrick Pogan was fired two weeks ago. This was disputed by Mr Pogan's lawyer, Stuart London, who claimed his client had resigned.
Mr Pogan, 23, was filmed attacking cyclist Christopher Long during a Critical Mass demonstration in Manhattan last July.
Following the incident, Mr Long was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, and held in custody for 26 hours.
But after video footage was posted on YouTube, the charges were dropped and Mr Pogan became the subject of scrutiny. He was accused of assault and of filing false paperwork relating to the arrest.
Mr Pogan’s statement said Long had been “weaving” through traffic and “forcing multiple vehicles to stop abruptly or change their direction in order to avoid hitting”.
But the video shows the rider moving in normal fashion down a street. The footage shows Pogan first walking towards Long, forcing him to swerve, then knocking the cyclist to the ground.
Critical mass cyclist assaulted by cop
