Police Commissioner William Bratton is speaking out nearly a week after an alleged case of police brutality was caught on cellphone video.



The incident happened last Thursday night on Saint Nicholas Avenue near 134th Street in Harlem.

Officer Risel Martinez was stripped of his gun and badge after video showed Martinez pulling a gun on bystanders and punching another man during an arrest.

Bratton says while he's not defending Martinez's actions, he says community policing is a two-way street.



"There's increasing efforts on the part of individuals, and often times crowds, and sometimes mobs, as police officers are attempting to conduct their lawful duties, in which there's an effort to intimidate, there's an effort to create fear, there's an effort sometimes to physically free the prisoner," Bratton said. "As we continue to train our officers how to try and de-escalate, there's a shared responsibility here. Communities are going to have to make up their mind. Do they want law enforcement or do they want mob rule?"



Bratton says part of the internal affairs investigation into the incident will include trying to determine if there was something Martinez saw that made him pull out his gun.

