2nd bogus 911 call
DA: White dog walker said Black man tried assault
Amy Cooper — the woman caught on viral video calling in a false 911 report that a Black man requesting she leash her dog in Central Park was threatening her — made a follow-up call claiming he tried to assault her, prosecutors revealed Wednesday.
The 911 calls came on May 25 during Cooper’s notorious confrontation with birdwatcher Christian Cooper, who asked her to put her cocker spaniel on a leash. The small section of the park they were in, the Ramble, is a protected space that is home to dozens of bird species.
When Christian began filming Amy’s refusal to leash the dog, she pulled her cellphone out and called the cops, Christian’s video shows. Though they share a last name, the two are not related.
“I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” Amy told Christian, her voice rising with hysteria as she spoke to a 911 operator.
Prosecutors charged Amy with falsely reporting an incident.
In the first call, caught on video, she falsely claimed Christian was threatening her and her dog. In a second call, he claimed he tried to assault her, prosecutors said Wednesday during Amy’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Wearing a black polo neck with her hair tied back, Amy appeared serious and sullen as she sat in front of a bare white wall at Wednesday’s hearing.
Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi said NYPD officers quickly arrived on the scene after Amy’s hysterical calls — and that she admitted that at no time did Christian try to assault her.
“I asked the defendant if the man tried to assault or touch her in any way, and she said no,” NYPD Officer Rebekah Miranda is quoted as saying in the complaint.
Illuzzi said the incident could be “an opportunity for introspection and education.”
“The people’s position here is that using the police in a way that was both racially offensive and designed to intimidate is something that can’t be ignored,” Illuzzi said.
“We will be exploring, with the defense, a program designed to have the defendant take responsibility for her actions — but also educate her and the community by the harm caused for such actions.”
Judge Nicholas Moyne warned Amy that she needed to attend her next court appearance on Nov. 17.
“Ms. Cooper, if you do not appear on that date, a warrant can be issued for your arrest, you could be incarcerated,” the judge said. “Do you understand that?”
“Yes, your responded.
In a statement, Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. called Amy’s 911 calls a “hoax” and said his office intends to send a message to the community through their prosecution of her.
“Amy Cooper engaged in racist criminal conduct when she falsely accused a Black man of trying to assault her in a previously unreported second call with a 911 dispatcher,” the statement reads.
“Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the police response to Ms. Cooper’s hoax. Our office will pursue a resolution of this case which holds ds Ms. Cooper accountable while healing our community, restoring justice, and deterring others from perpetuating this racist practice.”
The video ended up with h an online audience of over r 100 million people.
Within hours of the Centra al Park incident going viral, mil llions would view harrowing g footage of Minnesota fathe er of one George Floyd dying g under the knee of cop Derek k Chauvin.
In that video, white police e officer Derek Chauvin is seen n kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he pleads for his life. Within 10 minutes, the unarmed and handcuff-clad man would be dead.
The two incidents, which occurred close in time yet thousands of miles apart, sparked nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality. honor,” Amy