Undercover NYPD detective charged for role in Manhattan biker gang beatdown: sources

New York Daily News -by Rocco Parascandola , Thomas Tracy AND Shayna Jacobs

An undercover NYPD detective was busted Tuesday after lying to police brass about his hands-on role in a Manhattan motorcycle mob’s assault on a helpless dad.

Detective Wojciech Braszczok, 32, surrendered with his lawyer and was taken to Manhattan Central Booking, a police source said. He turned himself in shortly after the Manhattan district attorney signed off on his arrest.  

Braszczok, who insisted he didn’t assist the battered man to protect his cover, was exposed as a liar by a damning video that captured him pounding on the father’s SUV, one source said.

The NYPD is looking for four bikers involved in the Sept. 29 chase and beating of Alexian Lien. Above are two of the men believed to have been involved.

The NYPD is looking for four bikers involved in the Sept. 29 chase and beating of Alexian Lien. Above are two of the men believed to have been involved.

 

Victim Alexian Lien’s wife and 2-year-old daughter cowered inside the Range Rover as several two-wheeled thugs smashed windows on the vehicle and yanked the man out of his SUV.

The seconds-long video clip caught the off-duty detective joining the bikers who surrounded the Manhattan family.

Police released new photos of bikers who were involved in the beating of an SUV driver on Sept. 29, including the man seen in the above shots.

Police released new photos of bikers who were involved in the beating of an SUV driver on Sept. 29, including the man seen in the above shots.

“It shows him punching the back window, and then as the camera is moving, it catches him maybe throwing a kick at the side of the car,” the source said.

“Once the beating starts you can see him hop on the bike and take off,” the source said. “So he’s not involved in the assault, but he lied. He wasn’t truthful.”

Photos of another suspect sought by the NYPD.

Photos of another suspect sought by the NYPD.

Braszczok insisted to NYPD supervisors that Good Samaritans were helping Lien and witnesses were calling police when he reached the scene at W. 178th St., sources said.

The NYPD released photos of four new suspects in the attack as the probe of the wild Sept. 29 chase and beatdown stretched into a second week.

Craig Wright appears at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. He is one of the motorcyclists who allegedly attacked a family in their SUV in Manhattan last week.

JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Craig Wright appears at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. He is one of the motorcyclists who allegedly attacked a family in their SUV in Manhattan last week.

The quartet of wanted men were all wearing biker gear and sporting motorcycle helmets in the photos made public Tuesday afternoon.

None of the fugitive suspects were identified, and police asked for the public’s help in putting names to the faces.

The shots were released shortly after one of the four suspects already in custody appeared in a Manhattan courtroom for a bail hearing.

Alexian Lien, who was pulled from his Range Rover and beaten by angry motorcyclists, is seen on the ground before police arrived.

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Alexian Lien, who was pulled from his Range Rover and beaten by angry motorcyclists, is seen on the ground before police arrived.

Craig Wright, 29, was ordered held Tuesday on $150,000 bond or $100,000 cash bail.

Wright “is the one on the video stomping the (victim) at least three times, as well as (throwing) the original punch,” said Assistant District Attorney Samantha Turino.

Police came to the aid of Alexian Lien, whose wife and daughter can be seen through the frame of the window.

INSTAGRAM/REDYREDBX

Police came to the aid of Alexian Lien, whose wife and daughter can be seen through the frame of the window.

Wright reached through the shattered driver’s side window of Alexian Lien’s SUV and landed the first blow before the driver was yanked onto the street and attacked, she said.

The victim’s wife and 2-year-old daughter watched in horror as a day that started as a wedding anniversary celebration ended in terror.

Defense attorney Mitchell Elman entered a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf, and noted that Wright had no criminal record.

The suspect “lost his job in the last year and has been looking for gainful employment,” Elman said. “As you can see, he’s absolutely no flight risk.”

Wright’s driving record was less sparkling, with arrests for reckless driving in 2005 and driving without a license in 2011.

Wright is one of four motorcyclists charged in the assault on Lien, who was driving with his family when he bumped a motorcyclist on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

The fender-bender set the chase and assault in motion. Cops were already seeking three other suspects before releasing the new photos.

rparascandola@nydailynews.com

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Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/undercover-lied-role-biker-beatdown-suv-driver-source-article-1.1479369#ixzz2hBF3IXrR

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