Bedford-Stuyvesant residents and several police officers were injured amid riots and sporadic gunfire that followed an annual barbecue at the Marcy Housing Projects last weekend.
Police claim locals partying at the Marcy Avenue projects near Park Avenue began hurling glass bottles and other objects at officers responding to reports of an unruly gathering at 11 p.m. on Aug. 17.
One officer was hit with an unknown projectile, and another was injured after he was assaulted by a teenager on the scene, according to police.
Cops used pepper spray to break up the crowd, causing some officers to sustain self-inflicted injuries to their eyes, authorities said.
The injured officers were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, and at least 10 rioters were arrested in connection with the incident, police said.
Locals shared a different version of events on social media, claiming the event was peaceful until police showed up and started breaking up what one Instagram user called a relatively low-key Marcy Day.
“Marcy Day was as peaceful as it’s ever been. The amount of people celebrating Marcy Day has decreased substantially. There were no guns, no fights, not really even arguments… This was all abuse of power,” Fonzarelly James commented below a collection of videos posted on Instagram that depicted victims of the police action, including one man flushing his eyes with milk following a pepper spray assault.
A spokesman for the Police Department could not immediately comment regarding the number of civilian injuries that occurred amid the riot.
Police responded to a second incident three hours later, when multiple gunmen opened fire as officers responded to another riot at Bainbridge and Thomas Boyland streets, according to authorities.
No one was injured, and it is unclear if the shots were directed at police, cops said.
Five people were arrested in connection with that incident and slapped with various charges, including a 23-year-old man, who was cuffed for allegedly attempting to assault a police officer, cops said.
The Police Benevolent Association — the largest police union in the city — responded to the turbulent events by criticizing Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was in New Hampshire for a presidential campaign swing at the time.
“How are cops supposed to do our job in this environment?” someone tweeted from the union’s account. “When will @NYPDNews or @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio stand up & say enough is enough? Chaos is running the streets. This is outrageous — we’re lucky it wasn’t worse.”
