NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A woman seen on video calling police to falsely accuse a Black birdwatcher of threatening her in Central Park is now facing charges in connection with a previously unreported 911 call stemming from the same incident.
On May 25, Christian Cooper recorded Amy Cooper, no relation, calling 911 on him after he asked her to leash her dog in Central Park’s Ramble – where dogs are not permitted to roam free.
Video showed Amy Cooper calling the police and growing increasingly frantic as she falsely claimed Christian Cooper was threatening her.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Wednesday that in a previously unreported second phone call, the 40-year-old Cooper repeated the accusation and added that the man "tried to assault her."
Prosecutors say when responding officers arrived, Ms. Cooper admitted that the man had not "tried to assault" or come into contact with her.
"Our Office is committed to safety, justice, and anti-racism, and we will hold people who make false and racist 911 calls accountable," said Vance. "As alleged in the complaint, Amy Cooper engaged in racist criminal conduct when she falsely accused a Black man of trying to assault her in a previously unreported second call with a 911 dispatcher. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the police response to Ms. Cooper's hoax. Our Office will pursue a resolution of this case which holds Ms. Cooper accountable while healing our community, restoring justice, and deterring others from perpetuating this racist practice."
Cooper was arraigned on one count of filing a false report, which carries a maximum sentence of a year behind bars.
Prosecutors told the judge they are working on a deal for Cooper to avoid jail time in which she'd admit her wrongdoings in court and take part in an educational and rehabilitation program.
Christian Cooper had refused to cooperating the district attorney's investigation saying Amy Cooper had already suffered enough.
Cooper lost her job after the incident and also issued an apology after video of the incident went viral.
She is due back in court Nov. 17.