Video shows people arrested in Times Square for larceny, not sleeping outside | Fact check
The claim: Video shows undercover NYPD officers arresting people for sleeping outside
A Sept. 17 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a group of men handcuffing two people on the side of the street.
"Undercover NYPD swarm and arrest two young people for sleeping on the concrete blocks a few blocks from Times Square," reads the post's caption. "The NYPD has a track record of criminalizing homelessness and violently arresting the unhoused, especially in tourist hot spots."
The post garnered nearly 4,000 likes in 10 days.
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Our rating: False
The incident was about theft, not sleep. The two people were arrested for stealing someone's bag and were charged with larceny, among other crimes, according to a spokesperson for the NYPD.
Two in video arrested for pickpocketing, not sleeping outside
The description of the arrest in the post is false, according to an NYPD spokesperson. The spokesperson said the incident took place on Sept. 14 in front of 237 West 42 Street, an address that belongs to a Target in Times Square.
"The suspects entered the above location and removed a victim's bag containing foreign currency, credit cards, personal documents and personal items without permission or authority to do so," the spokesperson said in an email. "The suspects were apprehended without incident and charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny."
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The officers in the video don't make any mention of the two people being arrested for sleeping outside.
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The claim has also been debunked by PolitiFact, Lead Stories and Check Your Fact.
Our fact-check sources:
- NYPD spokesperson, Sept. 26, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Times Square, accessed Sept. 26, Target
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