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Off-Duty Cop's Brutal Beating Caught On Video By Cheering Witness
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 18, 2013
Modified Nov 18, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 18, 2013
Modified Nov 18, 2013
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An off-duty NYPD officer was beaten to the point of unconsciousness outside a Queens diner early Sunday as a laughing witness cheered on the assailant and repeatedly declared, "That ni--a's dead!" Sergeant Mohammed Deen is currently in a medically-induced coma at Jamaica Hospital following the prolonged assault, which occurred at approximately 5 a.m. as his wife watched helplessly from inside their car.
NYPD Chief of Department Philip Banks III told the Daily News that Deen, an 18-year-veteran of Harlem's 32nd Precinct, got into a dispute with suspect Hayden Holder outside St. John's Express restaurant in Ozone Park. The conflict between the two men may have started at the nearby Maracas nightclub about a mile away. One Facebook user uploaded this sickening video of the assault. Warning: it is extremely graphic:
Holder was arrested near the scene and charged with felony assault. Sources tell the Post that Holder confessed to the attack but "did not know that Deen was a cop at the time." His rap sheet includes arrests for criminal possession of stolen property, marijuana possession and graffiti, sources tell the tabloid.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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