BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he has seen an “incredibly disturbing” video of an NYPD officer interacting with a protester over the weekend.

Police responded to a protest outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center on Saturday. A video has circulated online of an officer pushing a man up onto the sidewalk, then pulling him down by his sweatshirt and throwing the man to the ground.

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It’s unclear whether Mamdani is responding to this specific video, but he referenced a similar scene at a news conference on Monday morning.

“I saw a video… of an officer grabbing a New Yorker and throwing them onto the floor, that is incredibly disturbing, and that is being actively investigated right now,” he said.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to PIX11 News’ request for comment.

Police described the protest, noting “numerous individuals acting in a disorderly manner,” and blocking emergency entrances and exits at the hospital. Eight people were arrested and charged with resisting arrest, police said.

The protest was in response to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action near the Bushwick hospital. ICE confirmed it took a man from Nigeria into custody that night, accusing him of overstaying a tourist visa.

Video of that arrest has also circulated on social media, and the man required medical attention after his interaction with ICE.

“Our officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said. “After his arrest, [he] requested medical assistance, so ICE officers escorted him to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center for a medical evaluation.”

Elected officials and advocates are accusing the NYPD of colluding with ICE on the scene, something that is not legal under New York City’s sanctuary laws. Mamdani said the NYPD was not sent to the hospital to aid ICE, but to respond to the protest outside.

“There was no prior coordination or planning between the NYPD and ICE ahead of this incident,” he said. “We are going to continue to actively examine what our response protocols are when ICE is present.”

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.

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