From [HERE] A New York City police officer is under investigation after social-media video surfaced showing him knocking a woman to the ground during a scuffle as her boyfriend was arrested, prompting accusations of brutality and a vociferous defense on Thursday from the mayor.

The Police Department, the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Civilian Complaint Review Board all said they were reviewing the conduct of the officer, Detective Kendo Kinsey, 46, after the recording of the Tuesday incident on West 136th Street in Harlem began circulating online. Facing growing outrage on Thursday, the police released video pulled from officers’ body-worn cameras.

The videos show the woman, identified as Tamani Crum, 19, approaching her boyfriend, Elvin James, 22, as he stands handcuffed and surrounded by officers, who had arrested him on an attempted murder charge.

In the video, an officer grabs Ms. Crum and orders her to back away before he pushes her. When she slaps his hand away, he strikes her with enough force to knock her to the ground. She lies with her hands at her head with a stunned expression for several seconds before the officer picks her up and places her in handcuffs. No officers in the video appear to give medical aid to Ms. Crum.

“He decked her,” Mr. James says in the video. “Why would you do that?”

The confrontation between the stocky officer and the slim young woman drew accusations of excessive force from residents and elected officials. But Mayor Eric Adams, who was questioned over the incident Thursday, put the blame on Ms. Crum.

“The young lady came, smacked a police officer. The police officer responded,” the mayor said. “They did what the system called for. They didn’t turn off their body cameras. That’s why we have footage of what happened.”

The comments were at least the second time that Mr. Adams has defended a police officer whose conduct was under official scrutiny.

Kristin Richardson Jordan, who represents the neighborhood on the City Council, said this week’s violence reflected longstanding problems with how the police engage with the historically Black community, which has long had a tense relationship with the department.

“There is no reason for a resident that hasn’t committed a crime to be treated like a criminal,” Ms. Jordan wrote on Twitter.

Mr. Adams said he refused to second-guess the actions of the officers at the scene. He focused instead on Mr. James.

“He was armed with a ghost gun in his belt,” the mayor said. “Those officers showed great restraint. They didn’t discharge their weapons.”

Ms. Crum was arrested along with two other people who police and prosecutors say attacked officers as they were arresting Mr. James. But prosecutors dropped all but a charge of obstructing governmental administration against Ms. Crum before her arraignment late Wednesday in Criminal Court in Manhattan, where she was released without bail on the misdemeanor offense.

Her lawyer, Jaime Santana Jr., said the incident had “taken a toll” on his client, who has no criminal record. “We also fully intend on making sure this officer is held accountable for his actions,” he said after the hearing. “He absolutely used excessive force.”

Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, said in a statement posted on Twitter that the union was considering a lawsuit against Ms. Crum. “When you assault a New York City detective in order to interfere with the arrest of a man armed with a gun, there are repercussions,” he wrote.

Mr. James, who the police say was carrying a semiautomatic pistol and 20 oxycodone pills, was arraigned on drug and weapons charges. The judge, Melissa Lewis, ordered him to be held on $300,000 bail.