US: New York police officer suspended for assaulting 14-year-old girl

A New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, Nicholas Scalzo, has been suspended without pay after a viral video captured him punching a 14-year-old girl, Kyonna Robinson, in the head during an after-school fight on Staten Island. The incident took place near Edwin Markham Middle School at around 2:45 pm on Tuesday, January 3. 

“I jumped in and the cops came and were supposed to be breaking it up, but the cops got into the fight,” said Kyonna Robinson, as reported to The New York Post on Wednesday from her Staten Island home.

Further, she added, “Then everyone was just in handcuffs, and my sister [was] in handcuffs, and I went up to my sister and asked the cops, ‘What are you doing?’ and he pushed me and then I hit him two times and then he hit me 11 times."

14-year-old attacked in New York

The whole incident takes one back to the George Floyd case wherein Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer, had killed a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. The Mayor first became aware of the altercation on Tuesday night when he watched the eight-second video clip on social media, said New York's Mayor Eric Adams, while addressing the incident on Wednesday during a news conference in Brooklyn. Further, the mayor informed, he was not pleased with what he saw and spoke to Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, to take strict action against the officers that led to their suspension.

Taking to Twitter, New York Police Department (NYPD) wrote, "Last evening, the NYPD became aware of an incident that occurred on Staten Island where officers responded to a fight between a group of youths. The actions of those officers is under investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau. At this time, one officer has been suspended." 

Even NY Council Member, Kamillah M. Hanks has also condemned the attack by the NYPD officer and thanked the police department for their swift actions against the officer. Taking to Twitter, she wrote, "Yesterday, an incident occurred at the dismissal of I.S. 51 middle school, where a student was seen involved in an altercation with an NYPD Officer. I would like to thank the concerned community member who sent me the video of this incident." 

Image: Twitter/@KristopherR