A Brooklyn choose dismissed the assault costs towards Councilmember Susan Zhuang, the South Brooklyn Democrat who bit a police officer in a scuffle in her district towards a forthcoming homeless shelter final summer time.
In a courtroom Tuesday morning, Assistant District Lawyer David Ingle stated Zhuang and NYPD Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo had taken half in a restorative justice session on March 26.
Ingle stated Zhuang understood, “the harm she caused” and the 2 agreed “that they can move forward in a way that takes into consideration their ongoing professional interactions as they both serve their communities.”
Studying from a joint assertion signed by Zhuang and DiGiacomo, he went on so as to add the 2 events had each shared how they had been impacted by the July 17 incident and stated they had been each “ready to move forward.”
Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-Brooklyn) leaves Brooklyn Supreme Court docket after costs had been dropped in her NYPD officer biting case, April 8, 2025. Credit score: Alex Krales/THE CITY
Steven Brown, an lawyer for Zhuang, stated the Council member is grateful to have participated within the restorative justice program.
“My client serves the community in a distinguished manner and now she can continue to do that,” he stated.
Zhuang and her lawyer left the courtroom after the continuing, which lasted lower than 10 minutes, declining a reporter’s request for added remark.
Zhuang, a key ally of Brooklyn Democratic Get together boss and Assemblyperson Rodneyse Bichote Hermelyn is a right-leaning Democrat who ran for her Council seat in 2023 with the backing of the town’s largest police union.
Decide Masateru Marubashi agreed to dismiss and seal the case towards Zhuang, saying the 2 events had been “able to reach a mutually agreeable conclusion.”
The conclusion to Zhuang’s authorized woes comes practically a 12 months after her July 17 arrest final 12 months, after which she was charged with second diploma assault, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration throughout a protest towards a homeless shelter. Metropolis officers preserve Zhuang’s district doesn’t have a single homeless shelter and so they had been constructing what could be the primary.
Zhuang is a member of the Council’s Widespread Sense Caucus made up of seven of the physique’s solely Republicans and several other right-leaning Democrats.
The assault stumped high brass on the time, whilst they circulated a photograph of the bloody chunk mark.
“Councilwoman Zhuang has been a great partner with the NYPD for a long time,” Chief of Division John Chell stated shortly after the incident. “But the actions today, by assaulting one of our police officers, a deputy chief, by biting him viciously in the arm, I can’t explain it right now.”
Zhuang was obtained by many members of her district as a hero. A few of her constituents contributed to her authorized protection, championing her activism towards the forthcoming shelter. She was additionally obtained in a private assembly by Mayor Eric Adams, who known as the incident “unfortunate.” Adams additionally not too long ago had costs towards him dismissed.
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