Althouse: "An undercover NYPD detective, afraid of blowing his cover, watched a frothing motorcycle mob terrorize a defenseless Manhattan dad..."

October 5, 2013

"An undercover NYPD detective, afraid of blowing his cover, watched a frothing motorcycle mob terrorize a defenseless Manhattan dad..."

"The off-duty officer was one of two detectives riding Sunday with the two-wheeled thugs who yanked Alexian Lien from his Range Rover and inflicted a beatdown near W. 178th St. in front of the driver’s family...."

30 comments:

Unknown said...: Later reports indicate that there were as many as 5 detectives riding with the group. Seems that one of them could have stepped in, even as a voice of restraint.
That none of them did is bothersome and disturbing.; 10/5/13, 11:09 AM
Wince said...: The detective told colleagues he didn’t want to end up like Detective Gescard Isnora, an undercover cop involved in the Sean Bell shooting, the source said. Isnora stepped out of his undercover role and fired the first shot as four officers blasted the Queens man with a 50-shot fusillade in 2006. Isnora was fired and lost his pension and health benefits for shooting his weapon while undercover.

Was Isnora fired because he blew his own cover or because it was an unjustified shooting?; 10/5/13, 11:30 AM
James Pawlak said...: The UK's Daily Mail has reported that at least five NYPD officers (And, perhaps, some Correctional Officers) were members of the noted motorcycle gang.; 10/5/13, 11:43 AM
Carnifex said...: When seconds count, cops are minutes away at the donut shop. Unless they're actually there, hiding, protecing their pension plan.

Way to go New Yorks finest. Gonna' have to call the NYFD the finest now. They actually ran into the Twin Towers regardless of self-interest.; 10/5/13, 12:10 PM
Carnifex said...: Maybe these guys can get jobs with the Fed Park Police rounding up octagenerians, and paraplegic war vets.; 10/5/13, 12:13 PM
Dr.D said...: "To serve and protect ... or something else."; 10/5/13, 1:38 PM
Anonymous said...: PIG cops, sitting on their asses.

Thanks a lot, fellows. You are my heroes.; 10/5/13, 1:50 PM
Jupiter said...: I find the fact that they were riding with the motomob, which was clearly behaving illegally, just as disturbing as the fact that they did not attempt to rescue the family being attacked. Apparently, what New York's finest do in their time off is practice reckless driving techniques on motorcycles. Note that the undercover officer was *not* investigating the motomob. He was just enjoying himself on a Fall afternoon with a bunch of criminals.; 10/5/13, 2:30 PM
Skyler said...: Oh I get it. The undercover cops were investigating to see if the motorcyclists are going to commit any crimes.

Remind me to never move to New York.; 10/5/13, 2:41 PM
Cedarford said...: Carniflex - "Way to go New Yorks finest. Gonna' have to call the NYFD the finest now. They actually ran into the Twin Towers regardless of self-interest."

============
And lost 343 lives because they ignored police and their own NYFD bosses evacuation orders. Other crews died when they ignored orders to standby in reserve at their stationhouses if matters got worse. (And a few of those buried engine crews were found when finally excavated, with trucks loaded with designer jeans, laptops, and jewelry)
Whereas the police did maintain control of their rank and file and only lost 22 people.

One can celebrate bravery, but sometimes, like Picketts Charge, it is an incident of glorious foolhardiness.
9/11 caused a complete revamping of command and control in fire departments, not just in NYC, but elsewhere.

Perhaps the police have now slipped below the rungs of professionalism 9/11 tragedy forced the NYFD to impliment. It does add to the controversy on exactly why the police failed to crack down on these goons when they paralyzed traffic on other highways, rode in oncoming traffic lanes, and notoriously up on sidewalks where they scattered pedestrians and pinned terrified others against the sidewalk buildings.
Perhaps the police got word not to mess with them because so many riders were "Blue Brothers, Hero Correctional Officers, etc."; 10/5/13, 2:46 PM
jacksonjay said...: Sounds to me like the "undercover" part of the story is an attempt to cover their arses!; 10/5/13, 3:30 PM
jacksonjay said...: Sounds to me like the "undercover" part of the story is an attempt to cover their arses!; 10/5/13, 3:30 PM
Kev said...: (the other kev)

Gonna' have to call the NYFD the finest now.

Nope. Tell that to the families of everyone who made it to roof of the twin towers only to die in the collapse because ONLY FDNY helicopters were permitted to pick them up.

Fuck the FDNY.; 10/5/13, 3:33 PM
cubanbob said...: Yes indeed folks. Yet another reason to pay taxes. That's the price we pay for civilization. Who wants to bet those cyclist clowns would have pulled that on a trucker with a fully loaded container?; 10/5/13, 4:55 PM
tim maguire said...: There were five cops there? Then at least five of the perps are easy to identify.; 10/5/13, 5:14 PM
Almost Ali said...: As an addendum to my general thrill of the chase thesis, the biker-gang who chased down a man and his family on the streets of New York City - apparently included a number of off-duty cops. Which fits the scenario rather perfectly, since a tandem or group of cops is always much greater than its parts. That is, the potential for violence increases exponentially as the number of cops increases. This phenomena is known more commonly as the pack mentality, wherein the competition of violence often reaches extraordinary levels, especially when compared to its precursor; the perceived offense or catalyst - as in the Washington DC case where when separated from the pack, for example, one of the parts nearly killed himself when his car struck a permanent barricade as he pursued the prey at a high rate of speed – a pursuit which we all know ended with the prey being gunned down in the street by his cop-coefficients.; 10/5/13, 5:15 PM
TheThinMan said...: What's a more important function for the police: setting up a phony dope deal some time in the future or saving a family being attacked by a gang right before your eyes? If you're the NYPD, that answer is simple, it is also immoral and there should be criminal charges against them.; 10/5/13, 5:26 PM
30yearProf said...: Don't ever depend on the police to protect you. They have little interest and no duty to you. Warren v. D.C., 444 A2d 1. Their only duty is to the city and their sole motivations for carrying out that duty are the thrill of dominance and the weekly paycheck.; 10/5/13, 5:27 PM
30yearProf said...: Why do we get better coverage of the NYPD from the UK's Daily Mail than from the NY Times?; 10/5/13, 5:28 PM
tim maguire said...: The police source said the detective wasn’t investigating anyone on the ride, but he thought he could pick up some tips about criminal activity.
“It was like cold calling,” said the source.

And there you go. Nifty after-the-fact cover story.; 10/5/13, 5:29 PM
Anonymous said...: Gonna' have to call the NYFD the finest now.

Nope. Tell that to the families of everyone who made it to roof of the twin towers only to die in the collapse because ONLY FDNY helicopters were permitted to pick them up.

As far as can be determined no one made it to the top of either World Trade Center tower because the access doors routinely were chained shut. A few people made it to the roof access doors of the South Tower, weren't able to get through, and ended up escaping the building by the one open staircase. And in any event, the heat rising from the fires made it impossible for helicopters to approach either tower.

Peter; 10/5/13, 6:01 PM
cubanbob said...: 30yearProf said...
Why do we get better coverage of the NYPD from the UK's Daily Mail than from the NY Times?

10/5/13, 5:28 PM

Celebs, bikini shots and shlock aside the DM is actually a newspaper and not a party house organ.; 10/5/13, 7:06 PM
ErnieG said...: There is one word that I have not heard to describe the actions of the bikers. It was a riot.; 10/5/13, 10:09 PM
Blair said...: Seriously, did anybody else actually watch the video that I did?!

What I saw was an SUV that rear-ended a bike, which puts him at fault. The bikes then stopped, as you normally would when an accident occurs. The SUV then runs over the bikes and tries to make a run for it, injuring people and ensuring one of them will probably never walk again.

Damn fucking A I am going to chase that scumbag and bash his head in! And you're telling me this prick hasn't even been charged yet? What kind of fucked up topsy turvy country do we live in where someone who does something that reckless doesn't even get charged with a crime? But the people who tracked him down and gave him what he deserved do? What a disgrace!; 10/5/13, 11:54 PM
Unknown said...: I don't know that it was an accident.

From the comments in the NY DAILY NEWS

Below explains the MO of these biker thugs and offers some helpful tips:

Marc Roffman wrote: "Here is some additional information you all might want to read. This is my personal experience with this situation. I made sure to post this on the support site as well. As a trucker that would deliver in north jersey and New York I am familiar with these gangs. I can hopefully clarify a few things. First the initial "accident" is part of a game they play. They ride in a huge group and will operate together to slow down traffic. Next they pick out high-end vehicles targeting people with families in them, the targets will usually be white or Asian. Then one of the riders will do a "brake check" and stop suddenly in front of the target vehicle causing a minor bump. In some cases they will just roll back into their target vehicle.

They will then mob the vehicle demanding money and/or begin attacking the person inside. It is their practice to also slash the tires to prevent the vehicle from escaping. Truckers are well aware of them and are advised not to stop. You can clearly see in the video how they are well practiced in this style of attack. The police in NY have backed off them after an officer ran one down using his vehicle a few months back. The video was all over the net so I advise you to check it out.

These "bikers" ride dirt bikes and sport bikes, very few of which are street legal and even fewer have plates. They run red lights, stop signs, and have no regard for the law. If you are ever in this situation do not stop, immediately call the police and do whatever you have to to keep them from boxing you in. NEVER leave the scene of an accident if you are not under direct threat!! Only run if you have no other choice, and again immediately call the police. This is not rare by any means, the only reason this incident got any attention is because of the helmet cam video being posted on the net. If you see anyone in this situation, call the police. Make no mistake confusing these punks with true bikers. You will rarely if ever see a member of these gangs on a Harley."; 10/6/13, 2:11 AM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/6/13, 7:27 AM
Unknown said...: " Blogger Blair said... " Yes, did you ? Is this the kind of behavior you exhibit when you ride ? If it is, you should be thankful for not finding yourself tits up along side the highway.
These behaviors are the direct result of the culpability of a cowardly law enforcement community and nanny statism unwilling to confront such abhorrent behavior. Had this occurred in civilized America these behaviors would not be condoned or tolerated. The gentlemen whom attacked the vehicle with their helmets wouldn't have had to found, the coroner could have easily located them. Detroit, Chicago, Camden, and this incident are the direct result of the cowardice of liberal governance, features not bugs.; 10/6/13, 7:37 AM
Sam vfm #111 said...: 30yearProf said...
Why do we get better coverage of the NYPD from the UK's Daily Mail than from the NY Times?

Because the Daily Mail has reporters, the NY Times only has DemoRat hacks.; 10/6/13, 8:32 AM
PatHMV said...: Blair,

We all saw the video. We saw a large swarm of bikers try to take over the road. We saw them try to force the SUV off the street on which he was driving legally. We saw one biker get directly in front of the SUV and then stop abruptly in front of the SUV, causing the rear-end collision. We then saw a swarm of angry bikers coming for the SUV, motives unknown but not appearing terribly friendly. THEN we saw the SUV drive over the bikers who had illegally blockaded the public highway in an attempt to get away from what appeared to most of us to be an angry mob coming for him and his family.

What video did YOU watch?; 10/6/13, 10:43 AM
Uncle Pavian said...: Perhaps it's time for a citizen strike against worse-than-useless make-believe law enforcement. Withhold all cooperation from the police for a day or two. Let them decide whether they need us or not.
Of course, if they decide they don't need us, it could be Very Bad. But not that much different from what we have now.; 10/6/13, 6:08 PM