A man hollering "Secret Service! Coming through!" as President Obama's motorcade neared Ground Zero was tackled by police and held at gunpoint, cops and witnesses said.
Cops leaped over barricades near a post office and rushed toward Matt Duhaime, 30, on Church St. at about 2:20 p.m.
"As the motorcade is approaching, he begins to take off his backpack and go into it - and that's when [cops] move in and grabbed him," said NYPD top spokesman Paul Browne.
Witnesses said cops tossed Duhaime, who just moved to Brooklyn from Chicago, to the sidewalk. Another officer pointed a gun at him.
"No guns! No guns!" one of the officers screamed. "We got him!"
Moments before the drama, witnesses said Duhaime was walking his bike, navigating his way through the crowd.
"Secret Service!" he yelled. "Secret Service! Coming through!"
Browne said police were first suspicious of Duhaime when they spotted him fidgeting with his Chicago Cubs baseball cap.
Police released the aspiring musician 20 minutes after the incident. A water bottle filled with Coors Light was found in his backpack.
Cops leaped over barricades near a post office and rushed toward Matt Duhaime, 30, on Church St. at about 2:20 p.m.
"As the motorcade is approaching, he begins to take off his backpack and go into it - and that's when [cops] move in and grabbed him," said NYPD top spokesman Paul Browne.
Witnesses said cops tossed Duhaime, who just moved to Brooklyn from Chicago, to the sidewalk. Another officer pointed a gun at him.
"No guns! No guns!" one of the officers screamed. "We got him!"
Moments before the drama, witnesses said Duhaime was walking his bike, navigating his way through the crowd.
"Secret Service!" he yelled. "Secret Service! Coming through!"
Browne said police were first suspicious of Duhaime when they spotted him fidgeting with his Chicago Cubs baseball cap.
Police released the aspiring musician 20 minutes after the incident. A water bottle filled with Coors Light was found in his backpack.
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| NYPD counter terrorism unit and the Secret Service team to tackle a suspicious bicyclist on Church St. at the time of President Obama's visit to Ground Zero Thursday. |
Before we debate let's get the facts correct.I was not tackled nor was I yelling secret service coming through.
ReplyDeleteHe was questioned afterward and they found him to be a great, patriotic person who merely the victim of a high-strung security force. He took it in stride.
ReplyDeleteBesides that, Duhaime, (if you live in Chicago) is known as one of the city's most prolific and great songwriters.