OFF THE WIRE
Yesterday, the New York Post reported that an off-duty undercover
narcotics detective was among the group of motorcyclists that attacked a
family as they drove their Range Rover up the West Side Highway last
weekend. (He reportedly did not "[get] involved at the scene," though he
also did not try to stop the assault.) Now, ABC News and DNAinfo report
that at least five other off-duty members of the NYPD participated in
the ride and witnessed some part of the confrontation, which began when
33-year-old Alexian Lien bumped one of the bikers with his SUV and ended
with Lien being dragged from the car, beaten, and slashed in front of
his wife and 2-year-old daughter after a high-speed chase.
According
to DNAinfo's sources, the cops in question include another detective, a
sergeant, and three regular officers. It's not clear if any of them
played an active role in the assault, but all will likely face
disciplinary action because they did not tell their supervisors they
were present for the incident until Wednesday. An NYPD spokesman
confirmed that internal affairs has launched an investigation, but would
not comment further.
Meanwhile, two bikers who were filmed
taking part in the melee turned themselves in on Friday. 35-year-old
Robert Sims, who attempted to pull open the door of Lien's Range Rover,
has been charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon, among
other things, according to the New York Daily News. 38-year-old Reggie
Chance, who bashed the car's window with his helmet and yanked Lien onto
the street, was questioned yesterday night and will probably be charged
with something soon. The police are still working to identify more of
the attackers.
And finally, high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred has
gotten involved in the case. She is representing Edwin Mieses, the
motorcyclist whom Lien ran over and possibly paralyzed as he fled the
group. Allred and Mieses's wife, Dayana, claim that he was trying to
"diffuse the situation" before he was hit. For now, they're not calling
for charges against Lien, though they are still deciding on whether to
sue him. Basically, this thing is a big, scary mess.
