A Brooklyn judge took the crime out of a bite on Tuesday, dismissing a felony case against a New York City councilwoman who had attacked a police officer during a protest against a proposed homeless shelter.
According to the office of Brooklyn’s district attorney, Eric Gonzalez, the charges were dropped after the council member, Susan Zhuang, completed a course in restorative justice under a diversion program that offered alternatives to traditional prosecution.
“It was based on the wishes of the victim and the defendant’s willingness to make amends,” said Oren Yaniv, a spokesman for Mr. Gonzalez. “This is exactly what restorative justice is meant to do — address harm, foster understanding and support a path forward.”
Ms. Zhuang, a conservative Democrat who in 2023 ran on a law-and-order platform as a political newcomer, left a bloody bite mark on the arm of Deputy Chief Frank DiGiacomo after a confrontation during a shelter protest last summer in Bensonhurst.
Ms. Zhuang, who had pleaded not guilty, said she was trying to help a woman who had fallen to the ground next to barricades during the demonstration.
“I was protecting 81-year-old grandma,” Ms. Zhuang said at a news conference a day after the altercation.
Ms. Zhuang did not immediately return a phone call. Her lawyer, Jerry Goldfeder, declined to comment.
According to the district attorney’s office, Ms. Zhuang met with the deputy chief once as part of the process that led to the dismissal of her charges. Mr. Yaniv said the diversion program had “created space for dialogue, accountability and healing.”
The Police Department declined to comment.
Despite the disconnect between Ms. Zhuang’s pro-police platform and the biting episode, she appears to be on a glide path to re-election this year in Brooklyn’s first majority-Asian council district. She has no Democratic or Republican opponent, and is backed strongly by a long list of pro-Beijing “hometown” associations that can make or break candidates for elective office in South Brooklyn.