Video of alleged cop assault makes woman cry in court

Manhattan jurors were shown a damning video Wednesday in which an Occupy Wall Street protester allegedly elbows a cop in the face as she’s escorted out of Zuccotti Park — and the footage was enough to make the defendant blubber in court.

In one of three brief YouTube videos aired, a petite woman in a green jacket, identified as Cecily McMillan, then 23, can be seen walking in front of NYPD Officer Grantley Bovell around 11:30 p.m. on the movement’s six-month anniversary in 2012.

Two seconds into one of the clips, McMillan, with her elbow cocked, lowers her body and jumps up, abruptly elbowing Bovell in the face, the cop testified.

McMillan is on trial for felony assault charges stemming from the March 17, 2012, incident.

“She crouched down and lunged backwards, hitting me in the face,” said Bovell, who was one of about 100 officers on duty that evening clearing protesters from the park for cleaning.

An unidentified woman’s voice is simultaneously heard in the background of the video saying, “There’s Cecily.”

Cecily McMillan, center in bright yellow/green, is arrested by NYPD officers after protesting in Zuccotti Park on March 17, 2012.Reuters

The next frame allegedly shows McMillan running from Bovell, who grabs her shoulders before the camera pans down and out of view.

Prosecutors showed the two other videos as additional evidence: One of McMillan sprawled out on the ground, surrounded by cops and protesters, with Bovell cuffing her hands behind her back, and another showing the same alleged assault but taken from a wider angle. They say McMillan intentionally assaulted Bovell, who suffered cuts and bruising to his left eye.

McMillan’s lawyers said she didn’t realize he was a cop and reacted out of surprise, striking him after he allegedly grabbed her right breast from behind.

“Reacting to being grabbed by a stranger is not a crime,” said defense lawyer Rebecca Heinegg in opening statements Friday.

McMillan, one of about 70 people arrested that night, faces up to seven years behind bars if convicted.