NYPD officer in subway battle: ‘I’m trying to survive’; 3 charged
Brooklyn resident Syed Ali said he was flooded with calls and texts after heroism went viral
A police officer on patrol alone says he was just “trying to survive” as he fought off homeless men who came at him in a caught-on-video confrontation in a New York City subway station Sunday night.
Officer Syed Ali, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, told reporters Thursday that he was flooded with calls and kudos from old Army buddies stationed around the globe as the footage went viral.
The video, viewed more than 5 million times on social media, showed Ali using a baton and kicking at the men, who appeared to be drunk, as they came at him one at a time at the East Broadway station in Manhattan.