White NYPD Cop Who Punched Black Man 12 Times In 9 Seconds for Asking Officers to Put on a Mask Escapes 60-Day Jail Recommendation Because Judge Said He’d Suffered Enough

A former New York City police officer who was charged with assault after he punched an unarmed man more than a dozen times in the face during a 911 call to help a child in an emotional crisis has been convicted but won’t serve time in prison. Christian Zapata, 37, was convicted of attempted assault in connection to the incident on Dec. 7, 2022, that involved 43-year-old Jerome Collins. NYPD officer Christian Zapata hits Black man 13 times. (Photos: Body camera video screenshots) That day, Collins’ girlfriend called the police to help her autistic 15-year-old son who was agitated and in distress. Zapata was one of several officers who responded to the call at the Harlem apartment. Bodycam footage showed Collins answering the door when the cops arrived and repeatedly requesting them to put on face masks before entering the apartment. Zapata told Collins that he was interfering with their response and threatened to arrest him. The confrontation started to escalate when another officer accompanying Zapata restrained Collins and tried to escort him out of the apartment and down the hallway. Collins swatted the officer’s hand away but still complied with the escort. At that point, the officer grabs Collins’...