NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Two cops were injured and two people were taken into custody in relation to the break out of a rowdy crowd outside an East Village migrant center on Saturday, the NYPD said.
Just before 8:30 a.m., police responded to a call reporting an unruly crowd at a migrant re-intake center at the now-closed St. Brigid Elementary School in the East Village, near the intersection of East Seventh Street and Avenue B, where hundreds of migrants were lined up.
Police said that the Borough Task Force was sent to investigate, and while “performing their duties,” two officers sustained minor injuries.
The injured cops were taken to a local hospital for evaluation, officials said.
Two people were taken into police custody, authorities said.
Video footage from the scene posted to Citizen App shows hundreds of migrants and a responding police presence. Briefly, in one video, multiple police officers are seen struggling with a hand-cuffed individual.
The New York Post reported that the crowd of asylum seekers waiting outside the shelter reached 400 people, and the injuries and arrests were related to a man cutting in line.
Citing eyewitnesses and city officials on the scene, the Post reported that a man holding a cup of coffee tried to sneak in line, while spilling on others, and was met with a punch that quickly escalated as more people got involved.
The re-intake center is where migrants can reapply for temporary, 30-day housing with the city.