The retired JUDGE threatened by NYPD at OWS clashes

A retired New York Supreme Court judge has claimed she was manhandled by a policeman after watching him beat a woman at the Zuccotti Park raids.

Dailymail--Karen Smith was working as a legal observer when she saw a distressed woman pushed to the ground and beaten by an officer, she said.

When she demanded he stopped, the unidentified cop pushed her against a wall and threatened her with arrest.

Speaking out: Retired judge Karen Smith told Democracy Now! she saw a policeman beat a woman during the clearance of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators

Ms Smith had attended the raids on Tuesday to note down the names of people arrested as the Occupy Wall Street camp was cleared.

She was wearing a fluorescent green baseball cap bearing the words 'National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer' to show she was not taking part in the protests.

'As I’m standing there, some African-American woman goes up to a police officer and says: "I need to get in. My daughter’s there. I want to know if she’s OK,"' she told Democracy Now!

'And he said: "Move on, lady." And they kept pushing with their sticks, pushing back.

Disbelief: Retired judge Karen Smith shows the legal observer hat she was wearing when she allegedly witnessed a cop beating a woman in New York City

Kicked out: Police forcibly evicted demonstrators who had been at the camp since September. Authorities had claimed it was to clean the park

'She was crying and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he throws her to the ground and starts hitting her in the head.

'I walk over, and I say: "Look, cuff her if she’s done something, but you don’t need to do that."

'And he said: "Lady, do you want to get arrested?" And I said: "Do you see my hat? I’m here as a legal observer."

'He said: "You want to get arrested?" And he pushed me up against the wall.'

Ms Smith, who was also carrying a pad and pen, said the incident happened at around 1.30am on Tuesday at Dey Street and Broadway Street in New York City.

She explained her son had participated in Occupy Wall Street and she had been ‘very concerned’ about his safety.