New York City police officers grabbed a protester off the street in the middle of a demonstration Tuesday, threw the person into an unmarked van, and quickly sped away.
The incident was captured on several brief clips that spread across social media on Tuesday evening.
The officers wore no uniforms, the videos showed, as they quickly grabbed the person, pushing them into a gray Kia van. When some protesters moved toward the plainclothes officers, uniformed police quickly moved in, using their bicycles to keep demonstrators away.
"They grab her, kinda push her to the ground, push her by the neck and scoop her into the van and drive off," a demonstrator who witnessed the incident told BuzzFeed News. "No words exchanged."
The person arrested has been identified as Nikki Stone. The NYPD told BuzzFeed News they arrested Stone, an 18-year-old woman, for "criminal mischief and making graffiti for 5 incidents ranging from June through July."
An NYPD spokesperson added the arrest - near Second Avenue and East 25th Street in Manhattan - was by the department's Warrant Squad. The department tweeted the person was wanted for damaging police cameras "during five separate criminal incidents in and around City Hall Park." There was recently a protest encampment in the park that police recently dispersed.
"The arresting officers were assaulted with rocks and bottles," the statement, which was also posted on Twitter, said.
In the multiple short videos posted to social media, no rocks or bottles can be seen being thrown at the officers. Protesters appeared to be marching peacefully on the street before the woman was taken into custody.
Officials at the department did not provide information regarding the five incidents, including when the alleged incidents took place. The spokesperson would also not answer questions regarding why plainclothes officers in an unmarked vehicle took the protester into custody, despite a number of uniformed officers being in the area.
Early Wednesday morning, City Council Member Carlina Rivera, who represents the part of Manhattan the arrest occurred, tweeted that the protester had been released from custody.
Video of the incident shows the van slowly driving down the street alongside demonstrators.
The protester who witnessed the incident told BuzzFeed News that he saw the van while he was on his bike taking pictures, but assumed the people inside were also demonstrators.
"And I hear a car screech, I turn around, and see this car had stopped at the intersection," he said.
The protester asked not to be identified because of fears of being targeted by police.
He said he biked for several blocks after the van after it sped off. He chased after it until the van suddenly drove toward a bike lane, stopped, and officers got out. The officers walked toward another demonstrator who had been following them, he said.
"They get out of the car and yell at this person with a GoPro that they are not allowed to be near them," the protester said. "At that point, they get back into the car and they proceed to run through I don't know how many red lights. I couldn't keep up with them."
Andrei said he saw no identifying markers on any of the officers except one who was wearing a shirt that read "Warrant Squad."
Video shows some of the officers had NYPD badges with black ribbons covering part of the badges.
Some people likened the video to footage of federal officers in camouflage uniforms grabbing protesters in Portland, which has drawn lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Among those critics was Mayor Bill de Blasio, who sent a letter to DHS after President Donald Trump threatened to deploy federal officers to New York as well. De Blasio has not publicly commented on the NYPD arrest.
In the letter, de Blasio told DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf that agents that "engage in tactics like those in Portland, will not help fight crime - it will undermine public trust in law enforcement."
"What federal officials are doing in Portland - arresting individuals without notice, the use of excessive force, and other apparent acts - is in violation of those rights and it is not welcomed in New York," the letter read.
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