New York Politicians Divided on Protester Arrests by Warrant Squad
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NEW YORK — After a viral video surfaced showing plainclothes NYPD detectives forcing an anti-police protester into an unmarked police van, questions remain about why they were allowed to make the arrest. The protester, Nikki Stone, 18, was arrested and given a summons early Wednesday morning after New York Police Department officials alleged she damaged five police cameras at City Hall during demonstrations over the last several weeks.
An NYPD spokesperson also said Stone and others allegedly threw rocks and bottles at police during the arrest, though this was not immediately evident from video at the scene. The warrant squad who arrested Stone is supposed to only respond when an individual has active bench warrants against them for incidents like missing a court date. In this case it remains unclear whether Stone had active warrants. The squad has reportedly targeted protesters in the past, and those most intimately familiar with their tactics said the Stone arrest marks a frightening turning point for detectives.