Vice president's niece apparently issued desk appearance ticket in cop assault

A woman identified in news reports as the niece of Vice President Joe Biden was apparently issued a desk appearance ticket Tuesday after being arrested in TriBeCa and charged with harassment, obstruction and resisting arrest.

Caroline Biden, 26, "lunged at an officer, hit another officer and resisted being handcuffed," said a police source, after cops responded to 34 Desbrosses St. as a result of a 911 call around 9:15 a.m. It was unclear what precipitated the call or who made it, although news reports said Biden had been in a fight with her roommate.

The Manhattan district attorney declined to comment.

But multiple sources close to the case said a desk appearance ticket -- which spares defendants the humiliation of a formal arrest and allows them to return to court at a later date -- had been issued to Biden. DATs are usually issued for violations, misdemeanors and certain very low-level felonies.