Woman in Central Park viral video charged with falsely reporting to police
07/06/2020 12:22 pm PDT
via WPIX:
MANHATTAN (WPIX) -- A woman involved in a racist incident in Central Park in May is being charged with falsely reporting the incident, the Manhattan district attorney said on Monday.
The New York Post reports Amy Cooper, 41, surrendered to the Manhattan DA's Office Monday and was charged with one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree. She was issued a desk appearance ticket and ordered to return to court Oct. 14 for her arraignment.
Cooper was recorded on camera falsely accusing a black man of threatening her life to 911 dispatchers on May 25. The viral video shows Cooper with her dog off-leash in a section of Central Park that requires all dogs to be on leashes.
The birder insisted the dog owner leash her pet, as is required. Amy Cooper then called 911, telling the man she'd say he was threatening her life. Since the video went viral, Amy Cooper has been fired by her employer and voluntarily surrendered custody of her dog to the rescue organization she adopted it from.
The incident led to an investigation by the NYC Commission on Human Rights. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also signed an order that criminalizes false, race-based 911 reports.
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