The white woman arrested for calling police on a black birdwatcher in New York's Central Park has had her criminal case thrown out after completing a diversionary counselling program educating her on the harm of her actions.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said prosecutors were satisfied with Amy Cooper's participation in the program — described as an alternative, restorative justice solution — and were not seeking to pursue the case any further.
The outcome is typical of first-time offenders facing misdemeanour charges, Ms Illuzzi said.
The program included education about racial equality, and five therapy sessions focused on making her appreciate that racial identities shape people's lives but should not be used to cause harm.
The judge presiding over the case agreed to dismiss the charge of filing a false police report and said she would seal Ms Cooper's case file, in accordance with New York state law.
The confrontation, captured on video the same day Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, drew worldwide attention amid rising racial tensions in the United States.
Christian Cooper (no relation), the birdwatcher who recorded the video and was the subject of Ms Cooper's call to police, said he learned of the case being dropped only after being contacted by the Associated Press.
He later issued a statement saying he was "far more outraged" by the US Congress denying statehood to the mostly non-white District of Columbia "than by anything Amy Cooper did".
"That gross racial injustice could be fixed by Congress now, today, and that's what people should be focused on — not last year's events in Central Park," Mr Cooper said.
Ms Illuzzi said Mr Cooper had declined to participate in the matter.
Ms Cooper's lawyer, Robert Barnes, praised prosecutors for a "thorough and honest inquiry" into the allegations and said he agreed with the decision to dismiss the case.
"We thank them for their integrity, and agree with the outcome," Mr Barnes said.
Ms Cooper, 41, drew widespread condemnation and was fired from her job as a portfolio manager at investment firm Franklin Templeton after frantically calling an emergency number on May 25, 2020, claiming she was being threatened by "an African American man" who had confronted her for walking her dog without a leash.
When police called Ms Cooper back in an attempt to locate her in the park, she claimed the man, Mr Cooper, had "tried to assault her," Ms Illuzzi said.
The second call was not recorded on video, Ms Illuzzi said.
It was previously reported incorrectly that Mr Cooper was the one who called emergency services again.
Ms Illuzzi said that when officers arrived, Mr Cooper was gone and Ms Cooper admitted he hadn't tried to assault her.
Ms Illuzzi said Ms Cooper's false claim could have led to a physical confrontation between police and Mr Cooper if they had arrived earlier.
AP
