A Brooklyn City councilwoman has been arrested after allegedly biting a police officer during a protest at a homeless shelter.
Susan Zhuang, 38, was arrested during the early morning protest on Wednesday in Bensonhurst. She was among nearly 150 people protesting the shelter’s construction, claiming that it was not legally permitted.
“Councilwoman Zhuang has been a great partner to the New York City Police Department for a long time,” New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a press conference. “But actions today, of assaulting one of our police officers, a deputy chief, by biting him viciously in the arm, I can’t explain it right now.”
Video widely circulated on social media showed the moment chaos erupted as law enforcement and protesters grappled with each other early Wednesday morning. A metal barricade that separated police and demonstrators appeared to be lifted during the chaos. Local media footage also captured the moment Ms. Zhuang was led away in handcuffs.
Felix Tager, Ms. Zhuang’s communications director, confirmed her arrest with NTD News, adding that the councilwoman was trying to protect an elderly woman who appeared to be pushed up against the barricade at the time.
Chief of Patrol Chell said that the officers asked the woman to leave, and when she told officers that she wasn’t feeling well, they called an ambulance, further noting that it was around that time that the barricades started to be pushed.
The councilwoman and her colleagues had been protesting the construction of the shelter for months because it had been cited for numerous safety violations, according to Mr. Tager.
Before she was arrested, Ms. Zhuang posted a video on social media of protesters talking to a police officer and asking to see the permits for the shelter’s construction.
“There is no permits,” she wrote in an X post. “Mayor office allowed construction at 5 a.m. in our neighborhood.”
Former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa defended her protest.
“Local residents in Bensonhurst are protesting a homeless shelter that was being opened at 5AM with NO consent from the community, or their Council Member Susan Zhuang!” he wrote in an X post on Wednesday. “Zhuang stood up for her community, and was arrested this morning protesting this shelter.
Mr. Sliwa said a landlord bought the property at the corner of 25th Avenue and 86th Street and “immediately accepted a city contract to make it a homeless shelter.”
He said residents in the area are already dealing with “grappling crime,” making it dangerous for residents and also unsafe for the homeless seeking care at the shelter.
The councilwoman represents the 43rd district and is a member of the Common Sense Caucus. Born in China, she came to the United States in 2008 as an international student to pursue the American dream, according to the New York City Council website.
“Susan Zhuang has worked diligently to serve the diverse communities of Southern Brooklyn for over a decade,” the website says. “She advocates for pressing issues such as public safety, equitable education, housing, and senior services,” further noting that she has “organized numerous community protests.”
The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) endorsed Ms. Zhuang last year for the open council seat.
“There should be no double standard in this case,” PBA President Patrick Hendry wrote in a statement on X. “After a full and fair investigation, Councilmember Zhuang and anyone else involved must face full accountability for their conduct.”
Other protestors were also arrested although it remains unclear how many and what charges they face.
Ms. Zhuang has been held at the local precinct since being arrested, according to her spokesperson, who also told NTD that nine other people were arrested. Some of the individuals arrested were released then returned to the protest which was still ongoing as of Wednesday afternoon.