Elizabeth Cop Punches Woman Outside Nightclub Trying to Break Up Fight – Did He Do Anything Wrong? [VIDEO/NSFW]

The “tape” will tell all, or does it?

A fight breaks out outside a popular nightclub in Elizabeth, when police are called.

One of those involved in the scuffle was pushed out of the way by a responding police officer. The cop was then approached and appeared to be lunged at by a woman who apparently was with the person thrown down by the cop, who then punches the woman.

Check out the video, and render your verdict.

According to this report:

The Elizabeth Police Department has launched an internal investigation into a 20-second YouTube clip that appears to show a city police officer winding up and punching a woman in the face outside of a nightclub, officials said.

The officer involved has not been identified and officials from the police department and the Union County Prosecutor's office have refused to comment on the incident.

Kelly Vence, the city's public information officer said the woman who was struck in the video has not been identified either, and declined to say whether the officer had been suspended or remained on active duty.

The video, posted on March 3 and titled "Woman punched in the face by cop during brawl at club envy NJ," shows a group of people who are scuffling on a darkened street.

A police officer emerges from the group about the same time as a man who is wiping his face. When the officer spots the man he approaches him, grabs him and forces him to the sidewalk.

A woman who had been speaking to the man appears to grasp for the officer. After a few seconds of grappling with the woman, the officer appears to reach back and punch the woman in her face.

The clip has more than 10,000 page views on YouTube already.

As long as I’m doing this, I’ve always maintained that you never, under any circumstances, get in the way of a cop who’s trying to control a situation about to get out of control.

Question is: did he contribute to it.

I would go “no”, since the situation was getting out of hand already, and the woman who was punched by the cop did lunge at him.

Do you feel the Elizabeth cop did anything wrong in punching a woman who lunged for him during a street brawl?