Undercover Cop Was Part of Biker Rally That Beat Driver

  • Share
  • Read Later
New York Police Department / AP

In this frame grab from video provided by the New York Police Department, motorcyclists ride alongside a sport utility vehicle, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, in New York

A New York City police officer is under investigation after he may have witnessed last Sunday’s beating of an SUV driver by a swarm of bikers.

The police officer, who is reported to have been riding off-duty and undercover, has been stripped of his badge and his gun while the NYPD investigates what he saw.

According to reports, the unnamed cop told investigators he didn’t intervene in order to keep his cover — but he’s come under fire for not reporting his involvement in the rally until Wednesday, four days after the attack.

Authorities are questioning why the police officer did nothing to help stop the attack or to alert on-duty officers about the incident. The New York Daily News reports that more than one undercover cop may have taken part in the rally, an unauthorized ride called Hollywood Stuntz.

The beating stemmed from a bout of road rage after the bikers surrounded Alexian Lien’s Range Rover on the Henry Hudson Parkway. After a minor accident, Lien sped off — with his wife and 2-year-old child both in the car — as the bikers gave chase for almost four miles. Cameras caught bikers bashing in the windows of the SUV, which ended with Lien being pulled from behind the wheel, beaten, and left to bleed on the pavement.

So far, three bikers have been arrested and face charges in the attack, but authorities tell the New York Post that as many as five may have been involved.