In the latest twist in the NYPD investigation into the Sept. 29 beating of an SUV driver by a pack of angry motorcyclists in New York, NBC New York and the Daily News reported on Tuesday that a veteran undercover police detective was caught on video participating in the attack on the vehicle.
In the video, the undercover officer can be seen smashing the rear window of the Range Rover, unnamed police sources told the affiliate. According to the reports, the new footage contradicts what the officer initially told investigators: that the attack was breaking up when he reached the scene."It shows him punching the back window," another unnamed source told the Daily News of the new footage reviewed by investigators on Monday. "And then as the camera is moving it catches him maybe throwing a kick at the side of the car."
After the victim, Alexian Lien, was pulled from the SUV by the bikers, the undercover officer is then seen riding away. Lien was then beaten in front of his wife and daughter by the bikers, who had followed the vehicle up the West Side Highway after it clipped one of the cyclists.
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the unnamed officer, who waited several days before coming forward, has been placed on modified duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation. He could face criminal charges, NBC's sources said.
The undercover officer was unarmed at the time of the attack, according to the report, and was not carrying a badge.
Further complicating matters, the rules for undercover officers when it comes to reporting crimes are often vagueUndercover officers are required to immediately report being a witness to a crime. Uniformed officers are required to take police action if they see a crime occurring, but the rules are murkier for undercover officers who face blowing their cover, confusing civilians who don't realize the undercover is really a cop and ruining years-long investigations.
