NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A 26 year-old woman was arrested Monday for assault after tripping an officer at a Long Island government building where officials were approving the mask ban in the area, according to police.
Police responded to a disturbance at the Nassau County Executive's office in Mineola at around 6:30 p.m. Upon arrival, officers were informed that Maria Campanelli, 26, of Centereach was "becoming disorderly" and was asked to exit the facility.
While Nassau County police were taking Campanelli out of the building, she allegedly intentionally intervened to prohibit officers from performing their duties. The officers warned her multiple times while attempting to place her into custody.
Campanelli allegedly was noncompliant and deliberately caused an officer to trip and fall, injuring his knees and wrist. She was later arrested.
The incident happened as the mask ban bill was approved Monday by the Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature on Long Island, would prevent violent protesters from hiding their identity.
Legislator Howard Kopel said the measure was introduced in response to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks” since the Oct. 7 start of the latest Israel-Hamas war.
All 12 Republicans in the legislature voted in favor of the measure, while the body’s seven Democrats abstained. The New York Civil Liberties Union criticized the Nassau mask ban as an infringement on free speech rights.
“Masks protect people who express political opinions that are unpopular,” the group’s Nassau County regional director, Susan Gottehrer, said in a statement. “Making anonymous protest illegal chills political action and is ripe for selective enforcement, leading to doxxing, surveillance, and retaliation against protesters.”
Whether Campanelli was there in response to the bill was not confirmed by Nassau County police, but the location and time of her arrest indicate that it might have been.
The officer injured was taken to a local area hospital for evaluation and treatment. No other injuries were reported.
Campanelli was charged with assault in the second degree, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.