*The father of the man caught on camera randomly hitting an NYPD officer with a glass bottle says his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 12 and likely assaulted the cop “because of his mental issues.”
“He’s my son. He’s crazy,” said 74-year-old Jose Garcia in Spanish about his 45-year-old son, who shares his name. Speaking to the New York Post through a translator, he said his son, has “mental issues.”
“Besides his problems, he’s a nice man. He’s not a bad man. He’s got problems.”
In the April 17th incident, the female officer had been conducting smoke shop inspections with the New York City Sheriff’s Department and was standing with another cop on a busy sidewalk at 231st Street and Broadway in Kingsbridge at around 2 p.m., when the younger Garcia is seen on surveillance video approaching her from behind and striking her in the back of the head. He also punched her several times before the other officer and another person finally took him down.
Police sources tell the New York Post that following Garcia’s arrest, he said “God told him to do this,” and claimed there were “people in his house, and no one did anything.”
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The elder Garcia said that his son “likes drinking, too,” and “has medication but he’s not taking it.”
“I know it’s because of his mental issues that he did it. I want them to take him to a psychiatrist, put him someplace where he’s safe,” he said.
Smoke shop employees were filming the inspection to ensure that cops and the Sheriff destroy their establishment and unwittingly caught the attack on camera. Watch the assault from both angles below:
Shocking Video Shows Suspect Attack NYPD Officer In The Bronx https://t.co/IJN01l2CG2 pic.twitter.com/y6Gdo8kiXQ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 19, 2023
Garcia was arraigned on charges of attempted aggravated assault on a police officer or peace officer, second and third-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. He has 11 prior arrests, many of which appear to be tied to his mental illness, sources sell the NY Post.
The injured officer was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she was treated for a concussion, a hematoma on the back of her head, blurry vision, and a loss of feeling in her hands, according to the complaint. The NYPD said the officer was in stable condition.
The blog Sandra Rose recently wrote about the incident sparking online debates about the effectiveness of women cops.
Some men argued that women aren’t fit for the job because they can’t defend themselves.
“The fact the woman cop just runs away and does absolutely nothing. Almost like they’re unfit to be police,” wrote one Twitter user. Another person tweeted: “She left her partner without even a backwards glance. I wouldn’t want her as my partner.” A third person wrote: “Women shouldn’t be cops.”
