NYC Councilwoman Susan Zhuang speaks exclusively after cop bite arrest

NYC Councilwoman's exclusive interview after arrest

NYC Councilwoman Susan Zhuang told her side of the story about being arrested last week for allegedly biting a police officer during a protest over a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. FOX 5 NY's Arthur Chi'en shares her side of the story.

BROOKLYN - FOX 5 NY's Arthur Chi'en sat down exclusively with NYC Councilwoman Susan Zhuang, who was arrested last Wednesday after allegedly biting a police chief at a homeless shelter protest in her district of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

She claims she was protecting an elderly woman who fell amid the chaos. Zhuang was brought to tears recalling the scene.

"In that moment, any human being was going to step up and help that senior lady," she told Chi'en. "Not just because I'm … an elected official. A lot of people jumped to help her. We see her not just [as] a person. I see her as my grandmother, my grandmother of 80 years old."

Zhuang said the protest was unplanned, triggered when she started receiving early morning calls from her constituents -- The city had started construction at the site of the homeless shelter around 5 a.m. (New York City typically doesn't allow construction before 7 a.m.).

About 150 people soon organized at 25th Avenue and 86th Street, calling their protest "Residents Against Homeless Shelters."

While Zhuang asked the contractor to show a permit for the early start, an elderly woman ended up under a barricade. Cell phone video shows the woman on the ground.

The next frenzied moments thrust Zhuang into the national spotlight. Another video shows Zhuang wrestling a barricade away from police as an officer tries to handcuff her. Once handcuffed, her arm becomes trapped, and the barricade is seen lifting into the air. Photos showed her wrists later bruised.

By the end of the melee, the city councilmember -- a conservative Democrat who ran on a pro-police platform -- would be charged with assaulting the officer. A court complaint said she bit a deputy police chief's forearm and resisted being handcuffed after she and other protesters were told to stop pushing barricades toward officers.

Councilwoman faces backlash after biting NYPD officer

Zhuang says she was trying to help an 81-year-old woman, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams says violence is completely unacceptable. FOX 5's Linda Schmidt as the latest details on the bite

While some call her arrest "unlawful," many others say she crossed a line, including NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who demanded an apology to the NYPD.

Chi'en asked, "Do you feel like an apology is necessary?"

"For me, I never apologize to stand up for my community," Zhuang responded. "I will never apologize to protecting an 80-year-old woman. Bad things happened. Should we do better? Yes. We should do better. Maybe I should have handled things better also going forward."

Community frustration

Many people in Zhuang's district disagreed with Adams and showed support for Zhuang when she spoke publically for the first time last Thursday.

As protests have continued at the site, Zhuang made it clear that the outcry is from a community that is frustrated about not being heard. Last Thursday, Zhuang highlighted the need for accountability from the NYPD and the safety of the Asian and Asian American community.

The councilwoman said she supports the NYPD but that there should be no double standard for conduct.

People in the audience yelled, "We should fire them. They should be fired."

"Asian hate in any form should not be tolerated," Zhuang said, highlighting the mistreatment of the AAPI community.

Susan Zhuang speaks out after allegedly biting NYPD officer

Zhuang said she supports the NYPD but that there should be no double standard for conduct. She claims she was protecting an elderly woman while protesting the homeless shelter.

Shortly after being arraigned on assault charges, Zhuang once again joined protesters later that evening to oppose the shelter. Her attorney spoke for her after the arraignment.

"I'm confident that once the thoughts and circumstances come out about what happened this morning, the case against her will not proceed," said defense attorney, Sarah Krissof.

According to the criminal complaint, that officer had broken skin, teeth marks along with substantial pain and was given an antiviral cocktail and tetanus shot at the hospital. But her office and some protesters say she was yanked from behind amid the tussle.

"From the video, you will see that she was attacked," St. Assem. Rodney Bichotte Hermelyn. "They grabbed her, choked her and we don't know who. We're not making any allegations who did. But when you're in the midst of all of that, things happen."

What are police saying?

Police say they were helping an elderly protester who had fallen under the barricade, adding that when they tried to arrest Zhuang, she bit a police chief.

"We are disappointed, disappointed in Councilmember Susan Zhuang, like she is a great partner, but we will not tolerate. This is what she did to the officer. Bit the officer on the arm, as you can see the bite wound," NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said, holding up a photograph of the officer's injuries.

The New York Post said Zhuang allegedly bit Deputy Chief of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Frank DiGiacomo on the arm when he tried to pull her away from the barriers.

What was the protest in Brooklyn focused on?

Those who oppose the new homeless shelter say they have safety concerns over 150 men being housed near schools, adding they will continue to make their voices heard.

"The message is very clear that we don't want a homeless shelter to be erected here at 25th Ave. and 86th St. because it's in our backyard," one person said.

The city still plans on moving forward with the homeless shelter. The City Council says they are waiting for the investigation to play out. But they say any form of violence is unacceptable.