NYC Cop Caught on YouTube Decking Cyclist to Face Charges

One of the real benefits of our document everything/share it with everyone world: The ability, on the rare occasion, to help right a wrong.

In July, cyclist Christopher Long was charged with resisting arrest after participating in a bike rally through New York’s Times Square. But anyone who saw the video below–and since it has generated more than 1.6 million views on Google’s (GOOG) YouTube, that’s a lot of people–would have a hard time figuring out what Long did to get arrested.

And viewers might also wonder what the city of New York would do about police officer Patrick Pogan, who is the one knocking Long to the ground in the clip.

In September, charges against Long were dismissed. And now Pogan is about to be indicted–presumably for “felony charges of filing false records in connection with the police report that Officer Pogan filed after arresting the bicyclist”–reports the New York Times. Pogan could also be charged with a misdemeanor count of assault, says the NYT.

The Times, via its City Room blog, has been doing bang-up coverage of the story, which is pretty much designed to be consumed on the Web. Check out the fascinating story behind the video clip’s origins, and its journey to YouTube, here.