Several Arrested In Daniel Prude Protest In Brooklyn: Cops

BROOKLYN, NY — Several people were arrested Wednesday during a Brooklyn protest following the news that New York officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude would not be charged, according to police and reports.

Protesters and hundreds of cops swarmed Williamsburg after a demonstration that began in McCarren Park around 7 p.m. made its way through the streets.

By the end of the night, nine of the protesters were arrested, an NYPD spokesperson said. Two of those arrests were eventually voided and another two were released with what is known as "desk appearance tickets," the spokesperson told Patch Thursday morning.

The spokesperson did not have details about what the protesters were charged with.

Witnesses told the New York Post that several protesters began attacking pedestrians and spray-painting a cab near South Fourth Street and Driggs Avenue.

Videos from the demonstration show police cars stretching several blocks near the intersection. The officers, many in riot gear, appeared to close off parts of the street as a helicopter circled overhead.

The protest came the day after a grand jury convened by Attorney General Letitia James declined to charge any of the seven officers involved in Prude's death.

Prude, a Black man, died in Rochester in March after police officers placed what's known as a "spit hood" over his head.

“Daniel Prude was in the throes of a mental health crisis and what he needed was compassion, care, and help from trained professionals. Tragically, he received none of those things,” James said about the decision.

“We concluded that there was sufficient evidence surrounding Mr. Prude’s death to warrant presenting the case to a grand jury, and we presented the most comprehensive case possible. While I know that the Prude family, the Rochester community, and communities across the country will rightfully be devastated and disappointed, we have to respect this decision."