Former Moelis banker seen punching woman is arrested on assault charges

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Police have arrested and charged the ex-senior banker who resigned from his job at boutique firm Moelis & Co. after a viral video showed him punching a woman in Brooklyn in June. 

Jonathan Kaye, 52, a former Moelis managing director, was charged Monday for second- and third-degree assault, the New York Police Department told CBS MoneyWatch.

The charges stem from an incident at a Brooklyn Pride event on June 8 that was captured on video and widely shared on social media. It showed Kaye appearing to strike a woman, causing her to fall to the ground. The 38-year-old woman later filed a police report alleging that the punch caused her a broken nose, lacerations and a black eye. She also said she became unconscious after hitting the ground, according to the report.

Representatives for Kaye, who is Jewish, shared his perspective on the altercation Monday, after charges were filed. They claim Kaye was walking past a group of pro-Palestinian supporters who made antisemitic remarks and threw liquids at him. He "was surrounded, shoved to the ground and further attacked," a spokesperson for Kaye told CBS MoneyWatch. 

The punch he threw at the 38-year-old woman, which was captured on video, was in "self-defense," his reps said. 

Kaye's attorney, Danya Perry, said he was "terrorized, assaulted and surrounded by a group of unruly antisemitic protesters" and that the widely shared video doesn't capture the events that led up to the altercation. 

"...Agitators formed a ring at him, doused him with two unknown liquids, shoved him to the ground and hurled antisemitic slurs at him. Terrified and injured, Mr. Kaye managed to act in self-defense to escape the situation and return safely to his family," Perry said in a statement. 

Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.