Police Officer Assaults Brooklyn Man For Littering, Prosecutors Say

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A police officer who beat and threatened to shoot a Brooklyn man over littering has been charged with assault, Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced Monday.

Officer O’Keefe Thompson, 30, shoved 23-year-old Raymond Crespo after Crespo refused to pick up a plastic cup he’d dropped near Mermaid Avenue and West 32nd Street on July 8 around midnight, prosecutors said.

Thompson, of Coney Island’s 60th precinct, shoved Crespo against a bodega door with enough strength to knock Crespo to the ground, said prosecutors. (For more Brooklyn Heights news, subscribe to Patch to get a daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.)

Prosecutors said Thompson dragged Crespo down the sidewalk, dropped him, then boasted of his Brownsville routes by saying, “Don’t you know that I’m from the Ville?”

Crespo, who was not detained, called 911 hours later and was taken to Coney Island Hospital to be treated for bruising, swelling and a possible concussion, prosecutors said.

The injured man filed a complaint against Thompson the same day and when the police officer heard about it, he went looking for Crespo, prosecutors said.

When Thompson found Crespo on the street around 2:30, he lifted up his shirt to show Crespo his gun, prosecutors said,

“Why are you sh---ing on my name?” Thompson reportedly said. “Do you know what I’m going to do to you?”

A crowd of bystanders separated the two men before the argument could escalate, said prosecutors.

Thomspon was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Monday where he was charged with assault, intimidating a witness and official misconduct, prosecutors said.

Thompson was released without bail and is expected to return to court on Nov. 29, said prosecutors.

The police officer will face up to four years in prison if convicted.

The NYPD responded to a request for comment by stating Thompson had been suspended without pay.

Photo courtesy of S. J. Pyrotechnic/Wikimedia Commons