Man Attacked by Bikers in New York Plans to Sue the City
Alexian Lien Chased and Beaten by Gang in front of Wife and Child in September.
Jan. 18, 2014— -- The man who was dragged from his SUV and beaten by a gang of bikers in New York last September has filed a legal claim against the city.
Alexian Lien filed a formal "Notice of Claim" against the city on Christmas Eve, accusing the New York Police Department of failing to properly train officers.
Prosecutors say an off-duty NYPD detective, Wojciech Braszczok, was present when the bikers chased Lien and attacked him in front of his wife and child.
Lien, 33, was driving his SUV on the West Side Highway in Manhattan with his wife and 2-year-old as part of a wedding anniversary celebration around 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 when their SUV was surrounded by the motorcyclists, who were doing an annual ride through the city, police and Lien's wife said.
The bikers tried to slow traffic and one biker cut Lien off, slowing down and leading Lien to bump into the biker, police said. The group of motorcyclists then slowed down further and surrounded the SUV, causing Lien to accelerate away from the group.
Lien's wife, Rosalyn Ng, said that her husband feared for their lives when he decided to take off to get away from the group. As he sped off, Lien hit some of the motorcyclists, critically injuring one, authorities said.
Other motorcyclists then chased Lien's SUV and bashed in his windows, pulled him out of the car, and beat him, police said.
Braszczok, 32, an undercover narcotics cop, participated in the melee by smashing the back window of Lien's Range Rover. He pleaded not guilty to assault charges in November.
A spokesperson for the city's legal department told The Associated Press that it would defend the claim if it proceeds to a full lawsuit.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin and Colleen Curry and The Associated Press and contributed to this report.
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