A shocking incident caught on camera shows an assailant striking a New York City police officer in the head with what appears to be a glass bottle.
Jose Garcia, 45, was arrested and charged with assault, obstruction of government administration, resisting arrest, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment after striking an on-duty police officer in the head with a bottle, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
OFFICER ASSAULTED: A police officer was struck in the head from behind with a bottle on Monday in Kingsbridge. The man seen on video striking the officer has been arrested. https://t.co/Wsgh5a5tpb pic.twitter.com/f5VPNBQguR
— News12BX (@News12BX) April 18, 2023
The unnamed police officer and her partner were standing outside a smoke shop in the Bronx while conducting an inspection, ABC 7 reported. Garcia can be seen coming up from behind the unnamed female officer, pulling out a bottle he had apparently concealed in the pocket of his hoodie and striking her over the head with it. (RELATED: Video Captures Brutal Murder In Harlem Smoke Shop)
Garcia then lunges for the male officer standing beside the victim, throwing punches before an unidentified man pulls him off the officer and tackles him to the ground, video footage shows.
Garcia has 11 past arrests, according to the NY Post.
The unnamed victim was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital for treatment, where she is said to be in stable condition, Fox News reported, citing the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
NYPD officials have been cracking down on smoke shops within the city following a 2021 decision to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, the NY Post reported in a separate article. Since then, smoke shop owners across the city have set up an illicit market selling a variety of cannabis, edibles, vape products and cigarettes, sometimes to minors, according to ABC 7.