Video shows NYPD police officer punching woman hard in the face during Harlem arrest

A video has emerged on social media of a police officer punching a woman hard, sending her flying backwards.

WARNING: CONFRONTING

A shocking video shows an NYPD cop punching a woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground after police say she attempted to stop an arrest.

Tamani Crum can be seen in footage shared on social media approaching officers from the 32nd Precinct in Harlem as the NYPD said they moved to arrest a man in connection with an attempted murder on Tuesday.

Crum walks toward the suspect, identified by cops as 22-year-old James Elvin, and talks to him briefly, the video shows.

The 19-year-old woman then appears to begin struggling with an officer off camera. The cop, who was identified as Officer Kendo Kinsey, pushes her away from the crowd, the NY Postreports.

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The woman was punched hard.

The video then shows Crum lunging to shove or hit the cop — and he retaliates by punching her to the ground.

Bystanders can be heard screaming, “Why would you do that?” as she lies on the ground holding her face.

Officers then put Crum in handcuffs and escort her away.

The NYPD said in a statement that “while police were effecting the arrest multiple individuals on scene interfered by physically assaulting numerous officers. One officer sustained a minor injury to the head.”

NYPD police officer Kendo Kinsey. Picture: Twitter / @etanthomas36

The police officer punched her hard in the face. Picture: Twitter / @etanthomas36

Police charged Crum with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, and slapped a 27-year-old woman at the scene, Faith Harrell, with the same charges.

Harrell is also charged with menacing and harassment.

Cops also said a 26-year-old woman was given a criminal court summons for allegedly spitting at an officer.

Elvin had been sought in connection to an attempted murder from earlier this month. During the arrest Tuesday, he was allegedly found to be in possession of a firearm and a controlled substance, the NYPD said.

Police charged him with attempted murder as a hate crime in the second-degree, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a firearm for allegedly shooting at a group of people on West 163rd Street near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard at around 10pm on Aug. 12. It was not immediately clear why the attempted murder charge was classified as hate-based.

The cop seen delivering the punch in the video had not been disciplined as of Wednesday afternoon, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

The woman ended up on the ground. Picture: Twitter / @etanthomas36

The footage drew outrage on social media and was quickly condemned by activists.

The New York City chapter of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network condemned the video, saying the cop “brazenly punched an unarmed woman to the ground.”

“Records now public under a landmark 2020 law show Kinsey has had at least six complaints in the last 11 years, two of which have been substantiated,” the organisation said of the cop.

The Detectives Endowment Association said in a statement it is considering a civil suit on behalf of the cop against Crum.

“When you assault a New York City Detective in order to interfere with an arrest of a man armed with a gun there are repercussions,” the group said.

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This article was originally published by the NY Post and has been reproduced with permission.