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NYPD Officer Placed on Modified Duty After Pushing Woman, Sources Say

By  Murray Weiss and Nikhita Venugopal | September 29, 2014 4:19pm 

 The police officer who pushed Mercedes Hidalgo was placed on modified duty after his actions were caught on camera in Sunset Park.
Mercedes Hidalgo
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SUNSET PARK — An NYPD officer was placed on modified duty after he was caught on camera shoving a woman when she tried to defend a pregnant woman in Sunset Park, sources say.

The police officer can be seen on camera shoving Mercedes Hidalgo on Fifth Avenue near 41st Street in Sunset Park while another officer attempted to restrain and arrest Sandra Amezquita, a five-months-pregnant woman, on Sept. 20.

The officer, whose name was not released, was disciplined because he did not take any action after pushing Hidalgo, such as checking on her or explaining why he shoved her, sources said.

Hidalgo told reporters last week that she was rushing over to police officers to tell them that Amezquita, who claims she was thrown on the ground, was pregnant.

But the officer shoved Hidalgo aside and she went tumbling the to ground, the video shows.

The actions of the second police officer, who was trying to arrest Amezquita, are under review, sources say.

The two women, represented by civil rights attorney Sanford Rubenstein, called for the Kings County District Attorney's Office to launch a criminal investigation into the incident last week.

Earlier this month, an officer from the 72nd Precinct was suspended for kicking a street vendor in the back during a neighborhood street fair.