After viral video emerged of a man shoved to the ground by police, two officers have been suspended.
In the footage of the incident on Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y., which originally came from local NPR affiliate WBFO and has since been circulated widely online, an unidentified 75-year-old man can be seen walking up to a large group of approaching police officers donning tactical gear and saying something before some officers shout at him and push him so hard that he falls backward onto the ground. In the footage, many officers continue to walk past him as the man remains lying on the ground, a pool of what appears to be blood visibly forming at his head. While one officer appears to kneel down toward the man on the ground, he is pushed to continue walking by a fellow officer. Shouts to call a medic and a claim that he is bleeding from his ear can be heard. Toward the end of the video, officers can be seen tending to the man, who is still on the ground. E! News has reached out to the Buffalo Police Department for comment and has not yet heard back.
According to NBC affiliate, WGRZ, “An initial police statement claimed the man was injured when he tripped and fell in front of Buffalo City Hall.” However, late Thursday, Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown issued a statement on the incident, revealing the unidentified victim is 75 years old while announcing that two police officers have been suspended.