The cop who went on to witness the Alexian Lien beating and did nothing to avail the situation has been this evening put on suspended leave.
The narcotics officer, whose identity is not being released has also gone on to be stripped of his gun and badge pending an outcome of an internal affairs investigation.
The cop at the time, off duty, is said to have been riding with the Frontline soldiers club at the time of the Alexian Lien beating.
The nypost is also reporting that NYPD spokesperson John McCarthy has gone on to say that internal affairs is trying to determine whether any other officers were also present at the beating and who hadn’t immediately reported it. It is understood the suspended undercover cop waited until as late as Wednesday night, four days after the beating to come forward.
Authorities have also since gone on to reveal that it has acknowledged there were at least five off duty cops who went on to witness the Alexian Lien beating. At present it is not understood if those officers participated in the beating or if they made any effort to come to the aid of Lien.
According to investigators, the undercover narcotics cop declined to intercede in Lien’s beating because he feared it would break his cover.
That said a source has now gone on to reveal that the detective told the beating was in the process of breaking up, and the level of danger for the overmatched Lien was diminishing. The source also went on to tell that the undercover claimed that somebody was already calling police when he arrived at attack site on the Henry Hudson Parkway.
The UK’s dailymail goes on to note that undercover cops are required by protocol 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.
Although the suspended cop has said he was not involved in the actual beating of Lien, it is understood he has now gone on to hire a lawyer.
The nydailynews also goes on to note that the narcotics cop opted to leave once he knew police were on their way and several people had rushed to Lien’s aid. Behavior which has since been called into question.
The suspension comes after increasing public scorn of the biker’s actions and calls that what many perceive to be reckless and aggressive action to be reigned in. It is believed that the officer has now been assigned to desk duty pending further investigation.