NEW YORK (AP) – New York police say they are investigating a confrontation Tuesday in which a detective pushed and punched a woman, knocking her to the ground, after she punched him while he helped arrest a suspect in an attempted murder. .
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Thursday that the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau Task Force is investigating. Attorneys sought the firing of Detective Kendo Kinsey after a bystander caught video of the crash. As of Thursday there had been no change in his duty status.
Sewell also authorized the release of body camera footage, which shows the woman approaching Kinsey, asking “What’s the matter?” and stabbing the detective in the chest while officers were arresting a man wanted in an Aug. 12 shooting that police said involved several suspects shooting at multiple people.
Kinsey is then seen punching him with an open hand, knocking him to the ground on a Harlem street. She remained conscious and was taken to the hospital at her own request, Sewell said.
Mayor Eric Adams defended Kinsey, saying he and other officers showed “great restraint” and “did what the system required.” A crowd had gathered around the officers and tried to prevent the arrest, Adams said.
“I’m not going to tell police officers to go out and arrest dangerous people and then come back later when they’ve done what they’re supposed to do and not say you’ve protected the people of this city, Adams said.
The woman, Tamani Crum, 19, was one of three people involved in the Harlem incident who were arrested and charged with obstructing government administration, a misdemeanor. She was released without bail. A message seeking comment was left with her attorney.
Kinsey became an NYPD officer in 2005 and earned 10 commendations for outstanding police work and meritorious police duty, according to police records. He was promoted to detective last December and assigned to the Harlem precinct where Tuesday’s altercation took place.
Kinsey has been the subject of 13 misconduct complaints, some for excessive use of force. Two complaints were upheld: in 2011 for using inappropriate language and in 2015 for abuse of authority, according to records from the city’s police watchdog agency, the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
Kinsey was acquitted in two appeals, while the others were dismissed for various reasons, including the lack of cooperation of witnesses and the unavailability of accusers.
The suspect in the attempted murder, Elvin James, had an illegal “ghost gun” in his waistband at the time of his arrest, a loaded Polymer 80 semi-automatic, Sewell said. James was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.
James is being held on $300,000 bond and is due back in court on Friday. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney.
The head of Kinsey’s syndicate suggested that, by approaching James as he was being arrested, Crum could have “taken the illegal firearm or helped the man use it against the police.”
Detectives Association President Paul DiGiacomo said the union is considering suing Crum, a tactic it adopted last year when Detective Vincent Cheung sued a protester he said berated him with racist anti-Asian epithets. Cheung is appealing after a judge dismissed the case on free speech grounds.
“Criminals in NY are used to not having consequences for their dangerous and illegal actions – but when you attack a New York City detective for interfering with the arrest of a man armed with a gun, there are consequences,” said DiGiacomo. in a statement posted on the union’s Twitter account.
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