An NYPD chief has filed a lawsuit against the New York City councilwoman who bit him during a protest in July, one day after criminal charges against her were dropped.
Frank DiGiacomo, deputy chief of Patrol Brooklyn South, filed a lawsuit against Councilwoman Susan Zhuang in the Brooklyn Supreme Court earlier this month.
The incident occurred at a protest called “Residents Against Homeless Shelters” in Gravesend. The participants were protesting the noise from the construction of a large shelter planned to house 150 homeless men.
Zhuang had allegedly bitten DiGiacomo to prevent him from arresting another woman who was pushing the police barricades at the officers.
The assault was also captured on camera.
BREAKING: NYC Councilwoman Susan Zhuang (D) caught on video BITING an NYPD officer pic.twitter.com/hy05ZVC67g
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 18, 2024
The bite broke the skin and left cuts and tooth marks on DiGiacomo’s arm. The officer had to be treated with an “anti-viral cocktail” and a tetanus shot.
The New York Post reports:
Before the criminal case was dropped, Zhuang, 39, and DiGiacomo met as part of a “restorative justice” program, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
The face-to-face and ultimate dismissal of the criminal charges was “based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant’s willingness to make amends,” Brooklyn DA spokesman Oren Yaniv said in a statement at the time.
“This case was resolved through a restorative justice process that created space for dialogue, accountability, and healing,” touted the statement.
But despite the apparent kumbaya moment, DiGiacomo is proceeding with the lawsuit accusing Zhuang of negligence and of leaving him “permanently injured” and suffering from great “trauma and distress,” court records show.
