Cop Was Told To Lie About Fight With Other Officer, Report Says

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An NYPD officer testified in a disciplinary hearing last week that he was told by his superiors to lie about the circumstances that led up to a severe knee injury he suffered in 2015, the Daily News first reported.

Officer Donald Alexandre suffered a rupture to his patellar tendon in 2015 while fighting fellow officer Erik Martinez in Riverside Park while both cops were working with the 24th Precinct, the Daily News reported. When Alexandre asked his superior at the precinct for an ambulance, they told him he'd be in trouble if the truth about the fight got out.

Alexandre remembered his Lt. Roger Lurch saying "Out of everyone out here, who has the most to lose? This is going to have an effect on your paid detail and your overtime," the Daily News reported.

Alexandre ended up telling his doctor that he suffered the knee injury after slipping and falling. The injury required two surgeries to fix, which prompted Alexandre to tell the true story, his lawyer told the Daily News.

But despite Alexandre coming forward with what he says is the truth behind his injury, his story is being disputed by his fellow officers. Alexandre's partner, Danielle Orapallo, and Martinez’s partner, Gregory Donato both claim to have never seen a fight between the two, the Daily News reported.

The only person not denying the story: Officer Martinez. The officer admitted to attacking Alexandre and pleaded guilty to fighting on duty, the Daily News reported.

The 24th NYPD Precinct patrols the area from West 86th Street to West 110th Street on the Upper West Side.

Read the Daily News' full story here.

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