The NYPD officer who apparently shoved a bicyclist during a Critical Mass ride was arraigned on felony charges and freed without bail. Officer Patrick Pogan, a two-week NYPD rookie, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to the three misdemeanor charges in state Supreme Court.

The 23-year-old officer of Massapequa Park was told to return to court on February 4. His lawyer, Stuart London, of Manhattan, said the video recording of the incident which was later uploaded to YouTube.com doesn’t show a very important part of the picture: the reckless manner in which the cyclist Christopher Long was riding the bicycle down Seventh Avenue. London argued that this could make all the difference and exonerate his client.

After the arraignment, Mr London said that the rookie officer didn’t randomly shove Long. Pogan saw the cyclist violate the laws.

The incident occurred on July 25 during a bike ride organized to raise awareness of alternatives to motor vehicles. The event is a monthly bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists right to the road according to the Critical Mass Web site.

Pogan was accused by 30-year-old Long of knocking him down from his bicycle without justification, while the police officer filed charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstructing government administration. The charges filed by Pogan were later dismissed.

Pogan was charged with falsifying business records and filing a false instrument, according to Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who had a very different opinion on what really happened on July 25. Unlike London, Morgenthau said that the video recording of the incident actually shows quite clear that Pogan singled out Long and intentionally body-checked him off his bike. The felonies of which Pogan was charged are punishable by up to four years in prison.

Mongenthau said Pogan falsified details in the criminal complaint and other paperwork related to the July incident. In the complaint, Pogan alleged Long intentionally steered his bike into him and hit him. The incident was recorded by an onlooker who then posted it on YouTube.com. The clip has been viewed by as much as 1.6 million viewers.

Christopher Long of Hoboken, N.J., suffered a back abrasion, lower back pain and small cuts and bruises. His lawyer, David Rankin, said that his client was thankful to prosecutors. Rankin added that if the incident hadn’t been video recorded, his client would probably still have been facing charges for assaulting the police officer.

The police officer has been stripped of his badge and gun and been assigned to desk duty shortly after the incident took place.