Key keywords: Mayor Mamdani, NYPD arrest investigation, Brooklyn liquor store arrest video, disturbing police arrest footage, New York City police conduct probe, 2024 NYPD Brooklyn incident, NYC civilian oversight of law enforcement, excessive use of force by police New York City Mayor Shahid Mamdani confirmed during a Tuesday press briefing that a viral video showing NYPD officers arresting a civilian at a Brooklyn liquor store over the weekend is under active, independent investigation, calling the footage “deeply disturbing and impossible to ignore.” The 3-minute clip, which circulated widely on TikTok, X, and Instagram over the past 48 hours, has amassed more than 14 million views as of press time, sparking widespread public outcry over alleged excessive use of force. The video, filmed by a bystander outside the Crown Heights wine and spirits shop, shows three uniformed NYPD officers restraining a 28-year-old Black male suspect on the sidewalk, with one officer placing his knee on the man’s upper back for over 90 seconds while the suspect repeatedly states, “I can’t breathe, please get off me.” Bystanders in the clip can be heard yelling at officers to loosen their hold, with one person shouting that the suspect had not resisted arrest inside the store. The store’s owner, Ali Hassan, confirmed to local reporters that he had called police after the suspect attempted to leave with two bottles of whiskey without paying, but added that the suspect had cooperated fully once confronted, putting the bottles down and offering to pay for them before officers arrived. “He didn’t fight, he didn’t run, he just stood there waiting for police,” Hassan said. “I have no idea why they took him down like that. It was completely unnecessary. I turned over all 20 minutes of store security footage to investigators first thing Monday morning, and there is zero footage of him acting aggressively towards anyone.” Mamdani told reporters that he had reviewed the full unedited security footage from the store, not just the short clip shared on social media, and had directed the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau to launch a joint investigation, with a preliminary report due within 72 hours. All three officers involved in the arrest have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe, per NYPD officials. “No one is above the rules, not even our law enforcement officers,” Mamdani said. “If this investigation finds that our officers violated department policy or broke the law, there will be swift, appropriate consequences, up to and including termination and criminal charges. New Yorkers deserve transparency and accountability from their police force, and that is exactly what we will deliver here.” The incident comes amid ongoing citywide debates over NYPD conduct and civilian oversight, with multiple community groups calling for a full overhaul of department use-of-force policies following 17 recorded excessive force incidents in the first half of 2024 alone.