On Wednesday, a New York City Council member was charged with biting a police officer during a chaotic protest against the construction of a new homeless shelter in her district. Brooklyn Democrat Susan Zhuang faced a felony assault charge, along with various misdemeanors and violations, and was released without bond.
Zhuang’s office did not immediately comment, and her legal representation was not clear at the time.
Social media images and videos showed clashes between police and protesters at the planned homeless shelter site. In one video, a woman resembling Zhuang is seen with other protesters trying to pull a barricade from police as an officer attempts to handcuff her. Another video shows Zhuang being led away in handcuffs.
According to a court complaint, when Zhuang and others were instructed to stop pushing barricades toward officers, she allegedly bit Deputy Police Chief Frank DiGiacomo’s forearm and resisted arrest by stiffening and twisting her body. The bite broke DiGiacomo’s skin and caused “substantial pain,” leading him to seek hospital treatment.
Police, referring to an arrest report, stated that Zhuang was preventing officers from reaching a woman on the ground.
At an unrelated news conference on Wednesday afternoon, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell described Zhuang as a “great partner” with the NYPD for a long time and expressed confusion over the allegations: “I can’t explain it right now.”
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Early Wednesday, Zhuang posted a video on social media platform X, which appeared to show a dispute between people and an officer regarding a construction permit for the site.
