Cops beat suspected looter caught inside Manhattan shoe store (VIDEO)

It appears that the NYPD has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards looters. A video shows a group of cops using strong-arm tactics against a protester who they nabbed inside a burglarized shop in Lower Manhattan.

New York City has been rocked by several days of protests following the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd at the hands of police, with some of the demonstrations devolving into riots and looting. The city's swanky SoHo (“south of Houston Street”) neighborhood fell victim to a string of criminal activity on Sunday night – but not all the perpetrators managed to escape the law.

A short clip circulating on social media shows a cop bashing a suspected looter who had invited himself into a shoe store. The rioter tries to get on his feet as he covers his face from the blows, but his efforts appear to be in vain: within seconds, two more officers join in the drubbing. One cop continues to hit the looter with a baton, as his colleagues restrain and cuff him.

The scuffle was witnessed by a group of demonstrators who gathered outside the damaged storefront. Some shouted profanities and “police brutality!” as the group of cops hovered over the looter. It then appears that the crowd made a swift retreat as more police arrived at the scene.

Other videos posted to social media show looters breaking into boutiques and chain stores in SoHo – and then making a hasty retreat with their stolen goods.

The NYPD has struggled to maintain law and order in the city, and has come under criticism for using excessive force against demonstrators.

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