KEY POINTS

  • Akeele Morgan, 25, was arrested Monday after he hit an NYPD officer on the head with a stick in Queens 
  • Officials said Morgan was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation after he refused to cooperate in court
  • Some social media users were skeptical about the authenticity of the footage of the incident and the attack

A man was arrested Monday after he was caught on camera striking an NYPD detective on the head with a plastic stick.

Footage of the incident released Tuesday by the New York City Detectives' Endowment Association (DEA) showed the detective standing at a Queens street and writing down notes before being approached and hit on the head by 25-year-old Akeele Morgan, of the Bronx.

In the video, Morgan can be seen attempting to flee the scene with officers pursuing him, while the elderly detective is reeling from the hit.

"What happened?" one person can be heard saying in the video. Another asks, "Are you OK?"

Police said Morgan was arrested a short distance away from the scene and is now facing charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, WABC-TV reported.

The incident happened on Prince Street in Flushing at approximately 11:50 a.m. while the detective was processing the scene of a robbery, the NYPD stated.

The detective was taken to NY Hospital Queens after the attack and was treated for minor injuries.

Court officials said Morgan was taken to the hospital Tuesday to undergo psychiatric evaluation after he refused to cooperate at a court hearing, the New York Post reported.

Morgan refused to speak to his lawyer and only wanted to speak to the judge at his arraignment, a court officer told the outlet. The officer added that Morgan would only answer questions by shaking his head yes or no.

"Welcome to NYC! Even as our Detectives investigate crimes they're attacked by emboldened criminals, who have quickly realized there are no consequences for law breakers in our city," the DEA said in a statement that accompanied the video of the incident.

DEA President Paul DiGiacomo said in a follow-up statement to the original post, "This individual needs to be fully prosecuted as the DEA explores civil action."

Some were skeptical of the authenticity of the alleged attack.

"This is amazing. Someone happened to be filming RIGHT before this happened? Before the man was tapped with a stick & the 'perpetrator' slowly ran away?" Twitter user @cassandreb23 replied to the DEA's original post.

Another user, @soonergrunt, said, "The last time I saw a performance this unbelievable was my kid's 4th grade play, but those performers had the excuse that they were 4th graders."

DEA2
Police are seen pursuing Morgan as he attempts to flee from the scene. New York City Detectives' Endowment Association
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