NY Police Chief On Leave After Girlfriend Assaults Teens

A police chief from Upstate New York is on leave after a knock-out altercation with his girlfriend and a group of Black teens that went viral. 

The incident took place while Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski was off duty on July 18. Zikuski was seen dragging his girlfriend, Susan Rice, off a neighbor’s porch after she was involved in an altercation with some Black teenagers. Rice allegedly approached the teens, referring to them as “Section 8″ and pushed claims that “we are the police,” although she isn’t in a law enforcement position.

While the teens can be heard calmly telling her “to go in the crib,” Rice repeatedly told them that “this is her estate,” while pointing at the neighboring home. Visibly annoyed by their laughter, Rice stormed the porch to approach the boys, and that’s when things went left. 

Rice climbed the stairs and swung on the minors, later identified as a 16-year-old boy who lived in the home and an 18-year-old friend who was visiting, according to Syracuse, after one was heard saying “touch me, touch me.” Forced to defend himself, the teen hit her back, knocking her to the floor. Zikuski was then seen coming to the porch to lift Rice up and carry her away.

As the video went viral, social media users chimed in to support the young men, wondering what possessed Rice to approach them in the first place. “What put that battery in her back after she looked inside? She saw him put his outside socks on and thought it was go time?” @samfortheset wrote. 

Another user pushed the narrative of the woman getting what she deserved as “an entitled Karen.” “Nothing makes me happier than entitled Karen’s getting what they deserved laid tf out, more of this pls,” @ummalecs said. 

Rice was treated for her injuries and was arrested by the Johnson City Police on July 21, being charged with endangering the welfare of a child, trespassing, and second-degree harassment. Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham chimed in on the incident saying he was troubled by the woman’s language, especially since she isn’t employed by the city or the police department. “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,” Kraham said.

An attorney was hired by the city to conduct a private investigation to make sure there weren’t any violations of police department policies or misconduct. Once the investigation is complete, Kraham said the report will be made public. 

Zikuski, who has served as Binghamton’s police chief since 2008, has been under the microscope for his own legal issues. In 2015, he was placed on administrative leave for over three months due to an allegation of sexual harassment. He returned to the department when the complaint was later dropped. Viewers of the video claim the next step for Zikuski should be to drop Rice as a partner. “He needs to leave her ASAP. She’s ruining his life,” an X user wrote.

RELATED CONTENT: Police Union Says Tyreek Hill Was ‘Uncooperative’ During Traffic Stop