In the first few seconds of this video, when you see the cop in the unmarked NYPD cruiser hit the siren and edge through a Manhattan intersection, stopping traffic before he steps on the gas, you may wonder: Is there a bank robbery in progress? A call of shots fired?

No. This officer is speeding up Sixth Avenue to chase down a cyclist, who according to CarBuzz (via the person who posted the video on YouTube) was stopped for running a red light.

Given that the cyclist wasn’t cuffed on the spot, it’s safe to assume the suspected offense was indeed a traffic violation. Setting aside the constant flouting of traffic laws that goes unchecked by NYPD, how much risk is this officer creating for the cyclist, or for that matter the public at large, by initiating a foot-to-the-floor pursuit on a city street? Could it possibly be less than the perceived risk created by the cyclist himself?

Short as this pursuit was, watching the video I couldn’t help thinking of Tamon Robinson, the man run down and killed by NYPD officers in Brooklyn a month ago. Or any number of NYPD chases that ended in injury and death for innocent bystanders.

Leave your reaction in the comments.