By Graham Rayman
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — New York City correction officers armed with assault rifles pulled over a motorist who was following them and driving erratically on a Queens parkway, video seen by the Daily News shows.
The officers, assigned to the Correction Department’s Emergency Service Unit, were driving on the Grand Central Parkway transporting a suspect when the driver began trailing close behind them about 10 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.
The aggressive driver weaved in and out of traffic and even pulled in front of their dark blue van and pumped the brakes in an unsafe manner, sources said.
The officers in the van pulled in front of the car, which had paper or “ghost” plates, and forced it to stop on the median near Forest Hills where the motorist and at least one of the correction officers had a heated exchange.
Cell phone video taken inside the private car shows two correction officers who got out to confront the driver kept the muzzles of their assault rifles pointed at the ground throughout the encounter.
“Stop following us,” one correction officer shouted repeatedly.
“Why, why, why, y’all corrections. Y’all not shooting nobody,” the pulled-over driver shouts in the video. “I’ve been on Rikers Island. Y’all not shooting nobody. Y’all not police. I got my rights. You’re not shooting nobody!”
The man then shouted, “S–k my d–k” twice as two other correction officers looked at him and got back in the van, the video shows. The motorist drove off, ending the encounter, the sources said.
Correction Department spokesman Frank Dwyer said the incident is under investigation.
“Transporting individuals in custody is a security operation,” he said. “Officers must be aware of potential for actions by others that can impact the safety of officers, persons in custody, and the public during the operation, including vehicles following or pursuing department vehicles.”
In June 2023, the Correction Department came under some criticism for spending at least $90,000 on assault rifles while cutting $17 million in programs in the jails. In March, the Adams administration said it was restoring $14 million of the cuts.
Inmate transportation safety: In the video below, Gordon Graham discusses safety considerations during inmate transport:
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