Robert Stolarik, New York Times Photographer Allegedly Assaulted: NYPD Is Lying

Robert Stolarik — the New York Times photographer who was arrested and allegedly assaulted by police over the weekend — spoke out against the NYPD in a new interview about the ordeal.

Stolarik was on the job in the Bronx when he and police officers clashed on Saturday. The photographer said that he was asked to stop taking pictures and showed his credentials, but officers forced him to the ground where he was "dragged, kicked, and stomped on." The NYPD denied his version of events, saying that his camera hit an officer in the face and that he violently resisted arrest.

On Monday, Stolarik told Daily Intel that there had been "no tension" leading up to the alleged assault and that the NYPD's claim about his camera was an outright lie.

"They just get to say whatever they feel like saying and then charging me with whatever they feel like charging me with to justify their actions," he said about the NYPD. "They were violent toward me, and they were violent toward the media."

The photographer was arrested for obstructing government administration and resisting arrest — things that he said "didn't happen." Stolarik also sustained minor injuries from the altercation. He told Daily Intel that he had "no broken bones or internal injuries," though it felt like otherwise.

Now, Stolarik is still missing his cameras and is due in court in November. He is not planning to press charges, but said his demands were "make the charges go away and get me my equipment back."