An NYPD cop accused in am SUV assault that left an innocent driver bloodied and bruised has pleaded not guilty to his role in the attack.
Wojciech Braszczok, an undercover officer, was allegedly riding in an unauthorized motorcycle event in New York City when a group turned on an SUV driver, chasing him through Manhattan streets before pulling the man from his car and beating him.
The incident was captured on a helmet camera, showing the bikers instigate a car crash then surround the man’s car.
The driver, Alexian Lien, then drove through the group of bikers to escape, leaving one man seriously injured. The group chased Lien for close two minutes before his car was trapped at a traffic light.
Prosecutors say the NYPD officer led the SUV assault, shattering Lien’s back window and helping others pull him from his seat. Braszczok did not report that attack when he met with his superiors, and is accused of lying when he finally did speak up about his role.
Wojciech Braszczok appeared in a Manhattan state Supreme Court on Wednesday, entering a plea of not guilty.
Braszczok’s lawyer, Raymond Colon, said there is no evidence that his client participated in the attack or knew the men who did.
“You can search every stone in the city of New York, you won’t find any evidence whatsoever of his ties to any of these other co-defendants,” he said.
In a previous interview, Braszczok’s lawyers also claim that he wasn’t responsible for the hole in Lien’s back window:
“It’s an absolute overcharge. He is in no way near [the biker who attacked the SUV driver] and doesn’t join the others…. They can’t prove it…. The allegation is that he struck the rear portion hatchback window, which has a gaping hole already in it; it’s already destroyed. Under the law, it’s a fatal flaw. You can’t break what’s already broken.”
The NYPD cop accused in the SUV assault has been stripped of his gun and badge.
