NYPD Officer Throws American Flag on Floor, Tramples It During Scuffle With Protesters

An NYPD officer steps on the U.S. flag at a Panera Bread in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 19, 2021. Courtesy of Chris Wright

An NYPD officer who was removing anti-vaccine mandate protestors from a Panera Bread in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 19, forcefully grabbed a pole with an American flag from one of them and threw it to the floor, subsequently trampling it during the scuffle.

As two other NYPD officers proceeded to arrest Mitchell Bosch, an Army veteran who has been protesting against NYC vaccine mandates, the police took the flag from Bosch’s hand.