Current Events > NYC migrant shelter guard grabbed by the neck and thrown to the ground

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One of Mayor Eric Adams top advisors grabbed a migrant shelter guard by her neck and threw her to the ground, according to an eyewitness statement obtained by THE CITY. He also shoved another guard, the same report alleges.

Tim Pearson, a retired police inspector who Adams has identified as a point man on migrant shelters, was part of a melee at a Midtown shelter Tuesday afternoon after he attempted to barge inside. The two guards were arrested following the clash, while someone else was taken to the hospital.

An account of the incident in the New York Post, which ended with the arrest of two security workers at the site, said Pearson was accosted by a security guard. A police source later told the Daily News that This is what happens when someone like this guard decides to exceed their authority and want to act like thugs instead of people who want to work for the city.

Pearson told prosecutors he had identified himself as a government official and had his shield displayed on his belt, the criminal complaint against one of the guards alleges.

But 12 witnesseses wrote accounts that describe Pearson refusing to identify himself, even after he was asked multiple times and emphasize that the guards were attempting to follow procedure in dealing with an intruder.

The statements, produced as part of a city Office of Emergency Management investigation of the incident, also describe the stranger who attempted to enter the facility without identifying himself while cursing at staff to get the fuck out of the way, and threatening to fire them, before shoving two guards when they tried to bar him from entering.

All the witness testimonials describe the mayors top aide acting angrily and laying hands on a female security guard first, which triggered a broader scuffle with other security guards on site trying to protect her.

Police arrested two guards, according to the incident reports and an NYPD spokesperson. A 29-year-old was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, while a second guard got a criminal court summons, but police didnt say what she was charged with.

Tim Pearson, a retired police inspector

Don't elect Republicans anywhere.