In the video, it appears an NYPD officer in a white shirt struck a man in a green shirt. The man immediately fell to the ground and was assisted by others nearby. After knocking the man down, the officer looked as though he was moving in to make an arrest, but the man on the ground was pulled away by another man nearby. The alleged altercation caused other protesters to react with dismay, and they started shouting. Some of the protesters attempted to force their way to the scene, but other police officers held them off to prevent the incident from escalating.

According to Gothamist, the man who was punched is Felix Rivera-Pitre, an HIV-positive protester. Rivera-Pitre told Gothamist he was walking slightly in front of the police on William Street, and he admitted he “shot the cop a look.” ( see the video on Animal NewYork of the look! followed by the attack!) 

“The cop just lunged at me full throttle and hit me on the left side of my face,” Rivera-Pitre told Gothamist. “It tore my earring out. I remember seeing my earring on the ground next to me, and it was full of blood. I was completely dumbstruck. I’m HIV-positive and that cop should get tested.”

Rivera-Pitre managed to escape arrest.

“The cops were pulling me by my feet and the crowd was pulling me by my hands, and I was suspended in the air,” he added. “But there were more people than cops, and they pulled me out.”