White woman who called cops on Black birdwatcher made second call accusing him of assault: prosecutor

Amy Cooper, the white woman who called the police on a Black birdwatcher in Central Park earlier this year, made a second, unreported call accusing the man of assault, according to a New York prosecutor.

Birdwatcher Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper, who are unrelated, clashed after she refused to leash her dog in the park’s ramble. Later, Amy Cooper called the police on the man, telling authorities that he was threatening her.

Christian Cooper recorded the interaction, which was later posted to social media.

“There’s an African American man. I am in Central Park. He is recording me and threatening myself and my dog,” Amy Cooper can be heard saying in the video.

The woman was charged with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced in early July.

However, lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi on Wednesday said that there was a previously unreported call in which Amy Cooper falsely claimed to a 911 dispatcher that Christian Cooper was assaulting her.

“Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the police response to Ms. Cooper’s hoax,” a release from Vance’s office read. “Our Office will pursue a resolution of this case which holds Ms. Cooper accountable while healing our community, restoring justice, and deterring others from perpetuating this racist practice.”

The district attorney’s office continued that when officers arrived on the scene, “Ms. Cooper admitted that the male had not ‘tried to assault’ or come into contact with her.”

Amy Cooper appeared remotely in court to answer to the misdemeanor charges filed against her on Wednesday. Cooper’s lawyers are currently negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time for her false reports, according to The New York Times.

Illuzzi said that in both reported calls in May, Amy Cooper had used law enforcement in a way that was “both racially offensive and designed to intimidate,” adding that her behavior was “something that can’t be ignored.”

At the time, video released of the incident went viral on social media, sparking outrage and adding to the national conversation about racial injustice in America.

The incident took place on Memorial Day, the same day that George Floyd, a Black man in Minnesota, was killed by police after former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes.

The video of the Central Park incident has garnered more than 44 million views. After it was posted earlier this year, Amy Cooper lost her job at the investment firm Franklin Templeton.

“We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton,” the firm wrote on Twitter at the time.

The case was adjourned until Nov. 17, allowing time for prosecutors and Amy Cooper’s lawyer to work out an agreement.