NYPD dooring of cyclist precedes drug questioning + Video

We love a New York police story here at road.cc as we can laugh heartily at their buffoonery without fear of being shot like a sick or injured racoon.

News reaches us via the Gothamist of an incident, partially captured on video, in which a cyclist was knocked off his bike by a New York police officer exiting an NYPD van in a classic no-look dooring manoeuvre.

You might reasonably expect the officer to express his apologies and make some attempt to address the issue of a freshly opened gash in the rider’s knee from which blood is flowing freely.

But no, it seems like the officer was rather indignant that the cyclist had the temerity to ride into his door when he opened it without doing what both common sense and the law dictate.

The rider, 37-year old animator Stephen Mann, told the Gothamist: "The cop opened his door just enough to catch my knee and handle bars and send me off the bike to land on a hapless bystander, and a stopped taxi cab. I expressed my anger with him, and informed him of the law that states you must check traffic for cars, pedestrians and bicycles before opening a driver’s side door into traffic."

Such provocation was like a rabid racoon to a .40 calibre handgun totin’ defender of the good and righteous.

Continued Stephen: “I was instantly surrounded by about seven cops who all started asking me questions, like was I drunk, or on drugs, or how long have I been riding bikes, and all sorts of foolishness. At the same time the driver of the van was reprimanded by another police officer and told to get back in the van and "shut up". Prior to that he asked me why I was riding my bike in the street.

“Meanwhile I was bleeding all over my leg and bike, and a random stranger came over and gave me Neosporin and some bandages, which is ten times more than any of the cops did. They filled out an accident report and asked if I wanted an ambulance. I hesitated and wasn't sure, when another police officer came over and told me "get checked" and so I said I wanted to get checked out.

“But the other cops quickly ushered the helpful police officer away from their group. It was like some sort of bad crime story cover-up; they huddled around me and seemingly tried to intimidate me. I really do think they asked if I was on drugs close to 10 times.”

Eventually an ambulance was called and Stephen’s gashed knee was treated at the scene. There followed some apparent obfuscation by the police officers who refused to provide their names or details of the precinct location where they would file the accident report.

But perhaps most telling of all was the lack of any expression of regret by New York’s self-proclaimed finest. "There were never any apologies given," said Stephen.

The Gothamist, however, suggests such expectations are unreasonable and asks presciently: “But what do you expect when you get in the way of an important NYPD door opening?”

Still, unlike this fellow New Yorker who narrowly avoided being doored by a police officer, at least he didn't get arrested.