NYPD officer violently shoves woman during George Floyd protest, prompting city councilman to call for assault charge

A New York City police officer violently shoved a woman to the ground at a protest in Brooklyn on Friday, causing her to be taken to the hospital and prompting calls for him to be charged with assault.

In a video posted on social media by Whitney Hu, a local activist, a police officer can be seen violently pushing the woman, who was one of hundreds of people protesting outside Barclays Center against police violence and the killing of George Floyd. After the attack, she lies on the ground for several seconds before sitting up and holding the back of her head.

According to Newsweek reporter Jason Lemon, who also posted video of the attack, the officer called the woman a “stupid fucking bitch” before shoving her.

Corey Johnson, speaker of the New York City Council, said the officer “needs to be charged with assault.”

“Hard to watch,” Johnson comment on Hu’s video. “Brutal and unacceptable.”

Later in the evening, the New York Police Department said the officer is under investigation, NBC New York reported.

In a video posted from the hospital, the woman, Dounya Zayer, said that “in no way was I aggressive toward this police officer.”

“He was walking in my direction, told me to move, and because I didn’t move out of his way in time he threw me out of the way,” she said.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com