84-Year-Old Left Bloodied After Encounter With NYPD. His Initial Crime? Not Something You'd Expect.

How often have you crossed the street without the walk signal, effectively jaywalking, and gotten away with it? Well, a man in New York City was not only stopped by police for committing the minor traffic crime, but he required medical treatment after an altercation with the officers ensued.

Kang Wong crossed at the intersection of 96th and Broadway in Manhattan Sunday around 5 p.m. without the right of way, the New York Post reported. According to witnesses who spoke with the newspaper, NYPD told Wong to stop but the man didn't seem to understand.

Police cracking down on jaywalking in the area after three fatalities within nine days stopped a man who crossed the street in New York City illegally. He didn't appear to understand the officer, resisted and ended up requiring medical treatment for injuries to his face. (Image source: WPIX-TV)

“The guy didn’t seem to speak English. The cop walked him over to the Citibank," Ian King, who witnessed the incident, told the Post. "[The officer] stood him up against the wall and was trying to write him a ticket. The man didn’t seem to understand, and he started walking away."

The officer tried to pull the man back but he resisted.

“As soon as he pushed the cop, it was like cops started running in from everywhere," King told the Post.

In the end, Wong was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment for a bloody face before he was led to the police office. Check out the New York Post's article for photos of the man's injuries.

Wong's son, who wished to avoid being named, told the newspaper he thinks "the cops are playing games," not telling him what his father would be charged with at first. Then at the precinct, the 41-year-old son learned the crime.

“Oh, great! Beating up on an 84-year-old man for jaywalking,’’ he said, according to the Post.

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/BrooklynSpoke/status/425041687421800448"]

In addition to jaywalking, the Post reported that Wong was charged with "resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct."

Wong's family said they might press charges against the officers' actions, while the NYPD told the Post they were reviewing the incident.

Police have been targeting this area for jaywalking recently as the third person within nine days was struck and killed after crossing without the light on Sunday morning, the New York Daily News reported.

Watch WPIX-TV's report about the pedestrian fatalities:

The Daily News noted that a sign warning against jaywalking was posted in the area.

“We won’t sit by while lives are lost and families are torn apart,” Phil Walzak, mayor's office spokesman, said in light of the three deaths, according to the Daily News. “These latest crashes underscore the urgent need to make our streets safer, which is why we are moving decisively to ... harness the power of city government to end this epidemic.”

Featured image via Shutterstock.