Suspect arrested in Central Park rape case

The Bobster

Senior News Editor since 2004

Suspect arrested in Central Park rape case​



By
Dean Balsamini


November 13, 2021 8:10am
Updated





On Thursday, November 11, 2021, police responded to a 911 call of an assault in the vicinity of Swan Lake and Center Drive, in the confines of the Central Park Precinct. Upon arrival, officers determined that an unknown male approached a 27 year old female from behind choked her and then raped her.
On Thursday, November 11, 2021, police responded to a 911 call of an assault in the vicinity of Swan Lake and Center Drive, in the confines of the Central Park Precinct. Upon arrival, officers determined that an unknown male approached a 27 year old female from behind choked her and then raped her. DCPI





Cops have collared a homeless man in the shocking rape of a woman in Central Park.
Paulie Velez, 25, was nabbed at 12:50 a.m. Saturday, the NYPD said. He’s now charged with rape, robbery, strangulation, assault, sex abuse and criminal possession of stolen property, authorities said.
Velez, clad in a knit hat, white T-shirt, jeans and a black surgical mask, said nothing as cops led him out of the Fifth Precinct station house to a waiting unmarked car early Saturday. He is expected to be arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Velez allegedly approached the 27-year-old victim from behind as she ran on a footpath near the pond in the park’s southeastern corner at around 7:20 a.m. Thursday, placing her in a chokehold until she lost consciousness and raping her, police said.
Velez was seen wearing black pants and shirts, with a black baseball cap and mask to match, as he entered a train station through an open emergency exit door — beating the fare, according to security footage released by the NYPD.
The victim reached out to a passerby for help, and was taken to a hospital, NYPD Inspector Michael King said at a Thursday briefing, adding there would be increased patrols in the Manhattan park after the attack.
Just 25 minutes later, a man who was released from state prison earlier this week allegedly tried to rape a 54-year-old jogger on Randall’s Island, before he was scared off by a bystander, sources said.
Paulie Velez was nabbed and now charged with rape, robbery, strangulation, assault, sex abuse and criminal possession of stolen property.Paulie Velez was nabbed and now charged with rape, robbery, strangulation, assault, sex abuse and criminal possession of stolen property.DCPI
Registered sex offender Howard Shaw, 38, was charged in that attack.
 

Alleged Central Park rapist Paulie Velez sent to jail without bail​



By
Steven Vago and

Melissa Klein


November 13, 2021 9:16pm
Updated





Paulie Valez is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court forraping a woman in Central Park near Swan Lake . Velez who is homeless was remanded to jail.
Paulie Velez is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court forraping a woman in Central Park near Swan Lake . Velez who is homeless was remanded to jail. Curtis Means for DailyMail.com







Accused Central Park rapist Paulie Velez was sent to jail without bail Saturday as a prosecutor contended he had previously fled criminal charges in the Sunshine State.
Jacqueline Studley, the assistant district attorney, said Velez, 25, has a felony assault conviction in Florida.
“The defendant stated he cut off his ankle monitor and fled,” Studley said.
Velez, who was wearing a purple dress shirt and blue slacks, swayed back and forth in front of the Manhattan Criminal Court judge and inaudibly mumbled at times.
He was arrested early Saturday and charged in the rape of a 27-year-old woman who was out for a jog in Central Park Thursday morning.
“The defendant raped a stranger in Central Park, and was captured on video fleeing from the scene and was in possession of the victim’s phone,” Studley said.
The NYPD caught him running from his mother’s house in Queens. When cops showed up to arrest him, Velez jumped into a “body of water,” she added.
Velez has convictions in Pennsylvania and Las Vegas, and has a New York bench warrant from February 2020, Studley noted.
A police official told The Post he was wanted in Miami-Dade County, Fla, on a sex assault. Florida records show he was arrested in February 2020 and charged with kidnapping, sexual battery and battery.
Jacqueline Studley, the assistant district attorney, said Paulie Velez, 25, has a felony assault conviction in Florida.Jacqueline Studley, the assistant district attorney, said Paulie Velez, 25, has a felony assault conviction in Florida.Loudlabs
Velez is due back in court Friday for the rape case and on Dec. 13 on the fugitive warrant from Florida.
Velez’s mother and grandparents were in the courtroom and waved when he entered.
A court officer chastised them saying “Folks, you can’t be doing that.”
As Velez was escorted out he shouted, “I love you. I’ll call you when I get a chance.”
His family was escorted out of the building by Velez’s attorney, Chelsey Amelkin of Legal Aid, and refused to comment.
 

‘I just grabbed her,’ accused Central Park rapist allegedly told cops​



By
Tamar Lapin


December 20, 2021 6:34pm
Updated









Perp walk of Central Park rape suspect Paulie Velez



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Accused Central Park rapist Paulie Velez allegedly admitted to cops that he “just grabbed” a jogger in an attempt to rob her — but denied trying to hurt her, according to court papers obtained by The Post on Monday.
Velez, 25, was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court on a four-count indictment charging him with rape, robbery, sexual abuse and strangulation in the chilling Nov. 11 daytime attack of a 27-year-old victim on a footpath near Swan Lake.
“I just grabbed her and threw her, I wasn’t trying to hurt her,” Velez allegedly told police after being taken into custody on Nov. 12, court documents show.
“I guess since I was holding her she kind of like dozed out,” he allegedly continued. “She fell on the floor I didn’t mean to make her hit her head. I got up. I took her phone and ran. They said I raped her, but I didn’t.”
Velez, who is also facing charges of kidnapping and sex assault stemming from a February 2020 case in Miami, Florida, said he cut off his ankle bracelet and traveled to New York, where he lived in a shelter in Brooklyn for about a month.
He claimed to detectives that on the morning of the attack, he left shelter with the intention of getting a food stamps debit card, but ended up smoking crack on the subway with some “guy” that he met.
Paulie Velez, 25, The man accused of raping a jogger in Central Park on November 11, 2021Paulie Velez, 25, is accused of raping a jogger in Central Park on November 11, 2021.Steven Hirsch
Later in the day, he wound up in Central Park where cops allege he put the woman in a chokehold until she lost consciousness and took her phone after raping her.
“I just needed money,” he allegedly told cops. “She woke up, she thought I was trying to rape her.” He claimed he told her “I’m sorry” then “ran and grabbed her phone… It stopped cuz her waking up, getting up.”
In a second interview with detectives at around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, Velez allegedly said he was sitting on a bench stewing about his ex-girlfriend in the Sunshine State getting married.
Paulie Velez, 25, The man accused of raping a jogger in Central Park on November 11, 2021 was arraigned today in Manhattan Supreme Court.                                        Paulie Velez is also facing charges of kidnapping and sex assault stemming from a February 2020 case in Miami, Florida.Steven Hirsch
He then decided to “take money, rob somebody,” the filing alleges.
“You know it’s not the right thing and all that stuff, but you think about the things you went through and you just muster up all that anger and think, ‘well screw it, lets do it,’” he allegedly told cops.
The document states that Velez saw a woman walking nearby with her dog and allegedly ran up behind her and put her in a chokehold, causing both of them to fall.
central park rapePaulie Velez allegedly described grabbing the victim, and the two of them falling to the floor.
He then allegedly “grabbed her body a little bit and slipped a finger in her,” according to the filing.
When she came to, he allegedly grabbed her phone and ran off, pawning it less than an hour later for around $20.
Later that day, he showed up at his mom’s house in Howard Beach, according to the court docs and cops.
“She came out crying saying you are all over the news, they’re looking for you,” the court documents state.
Velez was arrested the next day after a short-lived escape attempt from cops who arrived at his mother’s house.

He ran and jumped into a “body of water” to try to shake cops before he was taken into custody, authorities said.
Velez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. He is being held in jail without bail and his next hearing is scheduled for April 4, 2022.
 

Central Park Five pol candidate Yusef Salaam calls himself a doctor — but he’s not​



By
Carl Campanile


May 23, 2023 8:22pm
Updated













Harlem Council candidate Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated defendants in the infamous Central Park jogger rape case, touts himself as “Dr.” Salaam in his biography — but critics have pointed out that he’s not really a doctor in the traditional sense.
Salaam is not a medical doctor, nor has he earned a college doctorate in any field.
He instead uses the prestigious title based on an honorary degree awarded by the Anointed by God Ministries Alliance, which is a non-accredited online school.
“You’re a doctor in name only. You’re not even accredited,” said one Democratic strategist, who requested anonymity.
Political sources added that a candidate for public office loosely using the Dr. title based on a symbol honorific degree could run into trouble on the campaign trail.
But the Salaam campaign defended his Dr. title and called the criticism a cheap shot that could backfire.
“Yusef Salaam received an honorary Doctorate from a community organization in recognition of his decades-long work to reform a racially biased criminal justice system that wrongfully imprisoned him for nearly 7 years for a crime he didn’t commit,” said Salaam campaign manager Jordan Wright.

Yusef Salaam
Harlem Council candidate Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated defendants in the infamous Central Park jogger rape case, touts himself as “Dr.” Salaam despite critics pointing out that he’s not a real doctor.AP
“His bio has always correctly identified this as an honorary title, and opponents’ attempts to cheapen or trivialize the adversity he has overcome will not succeed.”


Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said he had no problem with Salaam referring to himself as Dr. given his wrongful imprisonment and the fact that faith-based groups often award honorary degrees.


“If he wants to call himself royal highness,” Sheinkopf said, “he should be called royal highness.”

Yusef SalaamYusef Salaam arrives at State Supreme Court in New York, in this Aug. 1990 file photo. AP
The current Harlem councilwoman, Kristen Richardson Jordan, shook up the race last week when she announced she would not seek re-election, just weeks before the June 27 Democratic primary.


That leaves Salaam locked in a competitive race with two Harlem Democrat Assembly members — Inez Dickens and Al Taylor.





Salaam on Tuesday announced the endorsement of former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields and has the backing of Manhattan Democratic leader Keith Wright, who resides in the district.


Dickens announced the endorsements of the United Federation of Teachers and the 150-group Greater Harlem Coalition over the past two days.
 

Meet Yusef Salaam, the ‘Central Park Five’ member who secured a shocking Dem primary win for NYC Council​



By
Bernadette Hogan and
Emily Crane


June 28, 2023 3:00pm
Updated












More On: central park five






Yusef Salaam, the exonerated “Central Park Five” defendant, touts himself as an activist and family man — but now he’s likely adding New York City councilman to the list after declaring victory in the Democratic primary for central Harlem.
Salaam, 49, an insurgent, first-time candidate and father of 10, secured a shocking win over the Harlem establishment Tuesday night — blowing away rival candidate and state Assemblywoman Inez Dickens, 73, as well as the powerhouses who backed her.
“When I started considering politics in general I thought: Where can I provide the biggest impact?” Salaam told The Post on Wednesday.
“I’m a Harlemite. I’ve been a son of Harlem all my life, born and raised in Harlem. I said ‘wow this city council seat is very important’.”
Longtime Harlem leaders, including ex-Rep. Charles Rangel, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, NAACP president Hazel Dukes and the Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughters had publicly thrown their support behind Salaam’s opponent.

Yusef SalaamYusef Salaam, the exonerated “Central Park Five” defendant, declared victory in the Democratic primary for central Harlem Tuesday night.Robert Miller
Over in Salaam’s corner, meanwhile, was Manhattan Democratic Party chair Keith Wright and his son, Jordan Wright, who ran his campaign.


“Yusef Salaam is a known commodity throughout Harlem and if you didn’t know his name, you definitely know his story,” the younger Wright said.


Salaam banked heavily on his painful past during his inaugural campaign for public office.


“We’d go to train stations and we couldn’t go anywhere because people wanted to stop him and talk to him. People would say, ‘I know he’s from here,'” Wright said. “People say, ‘I remember before you went to jail we did x, y together, I know your mother.”


“This is all family. It’s always been about family,” the campaign rep added.


Salaam, now known to many as one of the “Exonerated Five,” was among the teenagers wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned for the rape of a woman jogging in Central Park in 1989.






After his arrest at age 15, Salaam served nearly seven years behind bars before a re-examination of the case led to his conviction being tossed in 2002 after a career criminal confessed to the attack.


The city ended up paying $40.75 million to the five defendants — who each served between six and 13 years in prison — to settle a civil rights suit in 2014.


In a speech to supporters late Tuesday, Salaam — a practicing Muslim — said his campaign had “restored my faith in knowing that I was born for this.”


Salaam likened his youthful imprisonment to being “kidnapped” but also called his nearly seven years behind bars a gift that allowed him to see a racially unjust criminal justice system from the “belly of the beast.”


“I was gifted because I was able to see it for what it really was, a system that was trying to make me believe that I was my ancestor’s worst nightmare,” he said.


“I am here because Harlem, you believed in me.”

Yusef Salaam, his wife and childrenSalaam and his wife, Sanovia Guillory, are also the proud parents of 10 children — six girls and four boys.@dr.yusefsalaam/Instagram
With 98% of scanners reporting, Salaam had garnered 50% of the votes as of early Wednesday. Dickens was trailing behind with 25% of the votes, while the third candidate, pastor Al Taylor, 65, only had 14%.


Salaam had campaigned heavily on what he dubbed an “Equity & Empowerment Agenda” that focused on housing and criminal justice reform.


He vowed to “right-size the scope of the NYPD” and fight to protect criminal justice reforms that address “over-policing and mass incarceration.”




His campaign included a push to incentivize small businesses that hire locally, as well as collaborate with public- and private-sector entities that provide high-paying jobs. Affordable housing was also high on his agenda with a slew of commitments to combat homelessness and protect tenants.


“The city council, for me, is really the ability and the attempt to get the resources to restore our community,” Salaam said.


He noted how people continue to shoot up right outside his home despite safe injection sites having been set up in the neighborhood and how garbage is often strewn across the street due to a lack of trash cans.


“We are a dumping ground for many tragic stories,” he said of his neighborhood.


While all three candidates focused on promoting affordable housing, controlling gentrification and easing poverty in Harlem, Salaam repeatedly capitalized on his celebrity — insisting voters identified with him and his experiences.


“We all want affordable housing, we all want safe streets, we all want smarter policing, we all want jobs, we all need education,” Salaam told the Associated Press in the lead-up to the election.

Salaam being led into court in 1990Salaam, pictured in 1990, was among the teenagers wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned for the rape of a woman jogging in Central Park in 1989.AP Salaam and his mom entering courtYusef Salaam enters court in Manhattan with his mother, Sharonne Salaam, in 1990.ASSOCIATED PRESS
What set him apart, he argued, was that he offers a new voice that can speak about his community’s struggles.


“I have no track record in politics,” Salaam said. “I have a great track record in the 34 years of the Central Park jogger case in fighting for freedom, justice and equality.”


His campaign manager agreed, telling The Post that the budding politician has been saying, “We need new solutions to old problems.”


“He’s excited to sit down and hammer out how we’re going to fix these things,” Wright said.

Central Park FiveThe city ended up paying $40.75 million to the five defendants – who each served between six and 13 years in prison — to settle a civil rights suit in 2014 over their wrongful conviction.Gabriella Bass SalaamSalaam, who is a board member of the Innocence Project, went on to become an activist in the years after he was freed from prison.Stephen Yang
In the years after being released from prison, Salaam — a board member of the Innocence Project — went on to dedicate his life to activism.


In 2016, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama.


He and his wife, Sanovia Guillory, are also the proud parents of 10 children — six girls and four boys — between 7 and 27 years old.


“It’s a blended family of 10 children,” he told NPR in a 2021 interview.


“You know, when my current wife and I met each other, we became the Brady Bunch instantaneously. You know, she had two boys and a girl, and I had three girls.”


The couple went on to have four more children together.

Salaam and Al TaylorWith 98% of scanners reporting, Salaam had garnered 50% of the votes as of early Wednesday. Inez Dickens was trailing behind with 25% of the votes, while the third candidate, pastor Al Taylor (above), only had 14%.Matthew McDermott
“My hero, Malcolm X, is the father of six girls, right? And so here I am, in the same vein, same line as my hero, saying, wow, this is the coolest thing in the world,” he said, adding that their youngest, a boy, was born on his birthday.


“Family is very, very important. Family is the nucleus of community. When it’s healthy and made whole, they get the opportunity to provide to the community,” he told The Post.


“A lot of that translates into the wholesomeness of the mother and father. I call it being able to plan in safety and think in safety.”


His wife was among those to hail his victory, taking to Instagram early Wednesday to say: “Congratulations @dr.yusefsalaam Harlem showed up and showed out!!!!!!! We love you!!!!”





Salaam’s primary win virtually assures him a general election victory in a district unlikely to elect a Republican.


Asked what’s next ahead of the November election, his campaign manager said the focus is very much on talking to the people and seeing what they need.


“There’s extremes on both sides,” Wright said. “He’s focused on coming together and being on the ground … Like we have been … being in tune with the residents of Harlem.”
 

NYPD defends pulling over City Councilman Yusef Salaam, member of ‘Central Park Five’​



By
Social Links for Dean Balsamini and
Social Links for Tina Moore



Published Jan. 27, 2024, 6:07 p.m. ET









The NYPD stood by an officer who briefy pulled over City Councilman Yusef Salaam for driving a car with Georgia license plates and seemingly illegally tinted windows.
Salaam, a member of the exonerated “Central Park Five “who serves as Public Safety Chair on the Council, was let go by the cop after the councilman identified himself, according to statements and footage of the encounter released by the NYPD.
Still, Salaam criticized the officer in public statements, after the traffic stop which came while hhe was driving with his wife and family Friday night.
“Last night, while driving with my wife and children and listening in to a call with my Council colleagues on speakerphone, I was pulled over by an NYPD officer in my beloved Village of Harlem within the 28th Precinct,” Salaam said in a statement Saturday.
“I introduced myself as Councilman Yusef Salaam, and subsequently asked the officer why I was pulled over. Instead of answering my question, the officer stated, ‘We’re done here,’ and proceeded to walk away.”
Salaam was pulled over while driving a “blue sedan with a Georgia license plate for driving with dark tint beyond the legal limits, a violation of New York State law,” the NYPD said in its own statement on X.
“The officer approached the vehicle, identified himself, and asked the driver to roll down his window,” the NYPD statement reads.
“The driver complied and identified himself as New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, performing official duties, at which point the officer advised him to have a good night.”
New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam who was stopped by NYPD officers in the 26th precinct. 3
City Councilman Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” was stopped by the NYPD without explanation in Harlem. X/@NYPDnews
The NYPD praised the cop as having followed proper procedures, including those “put in place after Detective Russel Timoshenko was shot and killed through tinted windows in 2007,” and said the stop would be properly documented with a vehicle report.
The Police Benevolent Association also lauded the officer for his “outstanding, professional work.”
“This Council member and every other elected official who baselessly smeared our police officers owe them an apology,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said in a statement.
Salaam was upset the officer didn’t give him a reason for the stop.
New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam who was stopped by NYPD officers in the 26th precinct. 3
Salaam, who serves as Public Safety Chair on the Council, was driving with his wife and family Friday night when an officer pulled him over. X/@NYPDnews
“The fact that the officer did not provide a rationale for the stop…calls into question how the NYPD justifies its stops of New Yorkers and highlights the need for greater transparency to ensure they are constitutional,” reads Salaam’s statement.
The Saturday announcement of the traffic stop controversy came on the day of a scheduled ride-along between City Councilmembers and the NYPD, amid an ongoing City Hall battle over the “How Many Stops Act,” which would force officers to file a detailed report on every street stop they make — even for low-level ones like speaking with potential witnesses to a crime.
The law would not change the interaction that happened with Salaam. The law does not require police to explain why they stopped someone.
Salaam said in the statement that he no longer planned to participate in the ride-along.
A screenshot of a document with NYPD's report on stopping Salaam's vehicle. 3
Salaam was pulled over while driving a “blue sedan with a Georgia license plate for driving with dark tint beyond the legal limits, a violation of New York State law,” the NYPD said in its own statement on X.



The council passed the bill last month, but Mayor Adams subsequently vetoed the legislation, charging the result would be “drowning officers in unnecessary paperwork, when they should be out on the street keeping us safe.”


The City Council is poised to override the veto on Tuesday.


Salaam, 49, an insurgent, first-time candidate and father of 10, secured a shocking win over the Harlem establishment in June — blowing away rival candidate and state Assemblywoman Inez Dickens, 73, as well as the powerhouses who backed her.


He was among the teenagers wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned for the rape of a woman jogging in Central Park in 1989.


Adams’ office issues a statement late Saturday on the issue that said: “We appreciate Councilmember Salaam, the new Public Safety chair of the City Council, for bringing this stop to our attention. We also appreciate and commend the NYPD for following all proper police procedures and being respectful during last night’s interaction, as the video and vehicle stop report show. The village of Harlem deserves nothing less, and we are remain excited to work with Councilmember Salaam.”
 

NYC Councilman and Central Park 5 member Yusef Salaam faces calls to resign as safety committee leader after ‘lying’ about NYPD traffic stop​



By
Social Links for Craig McCarthy and
Social Links for Jorge Fitz-Gibbon



Published Jan. 29, 2024, 5:33 p.m. ET














New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam is facing calls to step down as head of the council’s influential public safety committee after a controversial traffic stop revealed he was motoring around the Big Apple with out-of-state license plates and alleged illegally tinted windows.
Salaam is also taking heat over claims he embellished his Friday night encounter with an NYPD cop in Harlem, during which the officer pulled him over for the tinted windows but cut him a break when the lawmaker identified himself.
“This is damning,” City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) said in a post on X. “An elected official with illegal tints and out-of-state plates, not legally registered, using his official title to evade the law.
“Worse, he lied about the exchange until NYPD set the record straight,” Holden wrote. “CM Salaam should resign as Public Safety Chair.”
Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) also joined the fray online, noting that the entire episode was caught on police bodycam.
“What is sad is taking an incident where someone cuts you a break, does right by you, and then misrepresenting the truth to get them in trouble,” Borelli said in another X post.
Councilman Yusef Salaam's traffic stop. 3
City Councilman Yusef Salaam was pulled over by police in Harlem on Friday for having overly tinted windows. AP
Bodycam captured Yusef Salaam's Friday night traffic stop. 3
The officer walked away after Yusef Salaam immediately identified himself as a city councilman on Friday night. AP
Salaam, one of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Post recently.
However, Salaam’s office did confirm that he had Georgia license plates on his car until just this week — despite living in New York and holding office here for two years.
According to Board of Elections records, Salaam registered to vote in the state on July 27, 2022, and had 30 days after that to transfer his Georgia vehicle registration to New York under the law.
The lawmaker had those Peach State plates on his car on Friday when he was pulled over.



According to police, Salaam was pulled over shortly before 6:30 p.m. while driving a blue sedan with his family inside — with the entire encounter captured on bodycam video.
“As the video shows, throughout this interaction, the officer conducted himself professionally and respectfully,” the NYPD said in a statement over the weekend.
“He followed all proper procedures, including procedures that were put in place after Detective Russell Timoshenko was shot and killed through tinted windows in 2007.”
The bodycam footage shows the cop walking up to Salaam’s car, asking him to lower the tinted rear window, and then approaching him behind the wheel.
Salaam immediately identifies himself as a city councilman, prompting the cop to wish him a good night and walk away, the footage shows.
But the councilman later griped in a statement that the officer told him, “We’re done here” and walked away — never telling him why he had been pulled over in the first place.
According to the NYPD Patrol Guide and the city Administrative Code, police officers are not required to say why someone is being stopped on a low-level potential infraction like a tinted-window violation.
“The stop was not illegal,” Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said on X. “The stop was done by the book. What is illegal is the percentage of tinting on his windows, using your Council Member title to get out of a ticket, and lying about the interaction.
“How can we expect him to be impartial as chair of the Public Safety [Committee]?”
City Councilman Yusef Salaam. 3
Salaam, one of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” is facing calls from some colleagues to step down as chairman of the council Public Safety Committee following the controversial traffic stop Friday. AFP via Getty Images
Councilmember Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) also slammed Salaam and called for a public apology.
“What this experience amplifies is how you lied, are potentially committing insurance fraud, using the race card, as well as using your status as Councilmember to evade the law,” she railed, adding, “The officer did everything by the book, and was nothing but extra nice to you.”



Speaking on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams dodged the controversy by saying that both Salaam and the unnamed officer displayed “a level of courteousness and professionalism” that should be commended.
 
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