Anyone who assaults a police officer in the middle of an arrest more than deserves to get pushed to the ground.
No, NYPD Officer Kendo Kinsey doesn’t look great in that viral video of him punching Tamani Crum in the face, but she’s the one that rushed into a chaotic melee.
Recognize that multiple bystanders rushed in to interfere as 32nd Precinct officers cuffed Elvin James, 22.
James is a suspect in an attempted murder; arresting officers found him in possession of a firearm (apparently an illegal “ghost gun”) and a controlled substance, the NYPD said. Tellingly, his bail’s set at $300,000.
Yet several individuals rushed to physically interfere with the arrest; at least two other women have been charged in the incident. And Kinsey had already pushed Crum away once — yet she lunged back in, shoving and slapping him before he slugged her to the ground.
We’d say “allegedly,” but bodycam footage shows it all.
Mayor Eric Adams is entirely right to say the cops on the scene “showed great restraint. They did what the system called for.”
“Let’s be clear, they were arresting a person who was being pursued for attempted murder, he was armed with a ghost gun,” he said. “And people got in and interrupted while police were taking action. That just can’t happen.”
Crum’s mom says the woman “was never in the wrong” and is too upset to celebrate her 20th birthday on Friday. Well, she should be.
Don’t resist arrest, and don’t interfere with one. Her mother should have taught her that.
