NYPD defends officers in beatdown video, slams Manhattan DA

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NYPD commissioner is defending officers who were recorded bludgeoning two people with batons on a Washington Heights street.

Commissioner James O'Neill said Friday that the officers were defending themselves after being attacked by a man with a history of getting into fights with police and then filing lawsuits over the altercations.

O'Neill also slammed the Manhattan District Attorney's office over its handling of the case.