An NYPD officer accused of assaulting a Coney Island man over a spilled drink is expected to face criminal charges Monday, sources said.
Officer O’Keefe Thompson was already on modified duty in the wake of his alleged clash with Raymond Crespo on July 8.
According to Crespo, he was on the corner of Mermaid Ave. and W. 32nd St. when his friend knocked his cup — filled with alcohol — on the ground. The cup rolled in the direction of Thompson, who was on patrol nearby.
The officer told Crespo, 22, to clean up the mess but Crespo refused.
“At that point he rushed me, but I went into the store,” Crespo told the Daily News.
“He grabbed me, started swinging on me, and I’m fighting to stay in the store, mind you. As soon as I let go of the gate, I hit it on the right side of my eye. And boom, I let go of the door, I come outside and he’s dragging me all through the same area.”
Crespo said he suffered a concussion and a bruised eye. He did not get arrested even though he taunted Thompson to do so during the confrontation.
While at Coney Island Hospital, Crespo reported the encounter and was later interviewed by the Internal Affairs Bureau.
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The next day, Crespo saw Thompson — in plainclothes — walking toward him as he was trying to go home.
“He was over my body saying, ‘You’re going to s— on my name? You’re gonna really s— on my name. You know what I should do to you,’” Crespo recalled.
Days later, Crespo saw Thompson again — while on duty — on the same corner where he was attacked and the officer tried to clear the air.
Thompson, who was assigned to the 77th Precinct in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is expected to turn himself in Monday to get arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court on an indictment with a top count of witness intimidation.
If convicted, Thompson faces up to four years in prison.