A New York City Council member shared a leaked video on social media Sunday night that showed multiple students beating a police officer at Hillcrest High School.
Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, a Republican, shared the video on X after a source in the city’s Department of Education gave her the video.
The release of the video comes after the high school garnered national news headlines last week after a large group of extremists in the school forced a pro-Israel Jewish teacher to lock herself in her office as they rampaged through the halls searching for her. The New York Police Department (NYPD) was forced to send dozens police officers, including its counterterrorism bureau, to quell the uprising at the school.
Paladino said that the incident happened the week before the anti-Semitic riot at the school.
“The school administration tried to cover this up in the same way they tried to cover up the riot,” she said. “It’s clear that the administration of Hillcrest is totally compromised and either unwilling or unable to do what’s necessary to provide a safe environment to their students or their faculty. Furthermore, they seem more than willing to cover up crimes committed by their students in service of a political narrative, and to prevent these criminal students from facing consequences.”
She said that had someone not come turned the video over to her office that no one would know what happened and that at this point it’s unclear “what else they’re hiding.”
“This cannot continue,” she said. “Hillcrest High School must be shut down pending a full and thorough investigation, and the administration must be held accountable. Furthermore, the students who committed these acts must be arrested immediately and face appropriate criminal charges.”
The NYPD said in a response to the post that the department was “aware of this incident.”
“Violence in our schools will not be tolerated,” the NPYD said. “The individuals responsible for assaulting the @NYPDSchools agents were taken into custody & charged according to NYPD procedures. If further information is needed, please contact DCPI.”
WATCH:
An anonymous source within the DOE shared video with my office of students at Hillcrest High School brutally attacking a uniformed school safety officer.
This event apparently happened a week before the riot.
The school administration tried to cover this up in the same way… pic.twitter.com/AzSMmXkk75
— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) November 27, 2023