Binghamton police chief placed on leave after viral video shows girlfriend ‘attacking teen neighbors’
A New York police chief has been temporarily suspended from duty after a viral video appeared to show his girlfriend getting into a bloody brawl with a teenage neighbor on their porch.
Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski was placed on administrative leave on Monday pending a review, following an altercation on Saturday, Mayor Jared Kraham stated in a recent announcement.
Kraham said that the woman in the video, who was identified by WSKG as Susan Rice, was Zikusk’s girlfriend. She is neither employed by the city nor affiliated with it in any official capacity, the mayor said.
A video of the altercation went viral after it was posted to Facebook by a woman who identified herself as the mother of the 16-year-old resident who, along with his 18-year-old friend, was allegedly attacked by Rice.
“Go in the crib,” the two boys said repeatedly, with one filming the incident.
“This is my estate. I don’t care,” Rice said. “We are the police. We are the police… Yeah, what do you do? Section 8?”
After briefly heading toward her porch near Zikuski, who was off duty at the time, Rice appeared to lose her temper and stormed onto her neighbor’s property.
Zikuski attempted to follow closely behind as Rice ran up the stairs and appeared to strike one of the boys after he taunted her, saying, “Touch me.”
One of the teens appeared to hit Rice back, causing her to drop to the floor and leaving her white shirt splattered in blood.
“Get her off my porch,” one of the boys said, as Zikuski attempted to pick Rice up off the floor.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the argument.
The mother of the teen resident said that she pressed charges on Friday, “yet still ain’t been arrested!,” she alleged on Facebook.
“I’m tired of these privileged a** people acting like they can’t do no wrong,” the woman added. “Well, well, Susan, you have met your MF match!!!”
Rice was arrested by officials from the Johnson City Police Department on Monday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, harassment, and trespass in the second degree.
She was released with an appearance ticket, requiring her to appear at court at a future date.
Before her arrest, Mayor Kraham said that he was concerned by Rice’s comments in the video.
“I’m troubled by her language and the implication that she is in any way above the law because of a personal association with a member of law enforcement,” he said.
Zikuski had been Binghamton’s police chief since 2008.
WSKG said he was placed on administrative leave for over three months in 2015 over an allegation of sexual harassment, and returned when the complaint was dropped.
City of Binghamton Assistant Police Chief John Ryan will serve as acting chief in Zikuski’s absence.
The Independent has contacted the Binghamton Police Department and the Johnson City Police Department for more information.
