Two Buffalo police officers have been arraigned after a video allegedly showed them pushing a protester to the ground.
The two officers, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, who surrendered themselves on Saturday June 6, 2020, pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault.
Torgalski and McCabe are due back in court Monday July, 2020. If convicted, they face up to seven years in prison.
At a news conference on Saturday, District Attorney John Flynn said the officers “crossed a line.”
“Video taken on Thursday shows police pushing 75-year-old Martin Gugino, who then falls and hits the back of his head on the pavement, causing him to bleed.
“Gugino remains in critical condition,” prosecutors said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the situation “horrendous” and said there was no need to use force.
“I think there was criminal liability from what I saw on the video.
“I think what the mayor did and the district attorney did was right, and I applaud them for acting as quickly as they did,” Cuomo said.
“There’s no tolerance for delaying justice in society anymore. Justice delayed is justice denied,” he added.
The two officers were initially suspended, prompting dozens of Buffalo police officers to step down from a special unit in protest.
Fifty seven members of Buffalo’s Emergency Response Team quit the unit Friday, but didn’t resign from the department.
The police union says the suspended officers were just following orders.
