Jan. 24, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
An NYPD officer was arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple counts of robbery and assault after he allegedly robbed a man outside a Bushwick nightclub and lied about it in an incident report.
Anthony Delacruz, a 34-year-old NYPD officer, was involved in a May 2016 incident where he allegedly told fellow cops that he was robbed by a group of men just outside El Mekkah Bar near Wyckoff Avenue and Grove Street.
But video evidence allegedly shows a drastically different story of that night, with Delacruz now accused of pistol-whipping a man before stealing his clothes with an accomplice.
Wyckoff Avenue and Grove Street near El Mekkah Bar (Google Maps)
Delacruz allegedly told police responding to a 911 call outside the club that he was off-duty and in his personal car when a group of men surrounded him and stole his gold chain, Rolex watch, and a gold ring from him. Delacruz then allegedly told officers that he chased after them and fired his gun once.
But a string of irregularities were soon discovered, as the men Delacruz identified, and who were subsequently taken into custody, were shown on video to be in a different place during the alleged robbery. NYPD officers also determined that Delacruz was not being forthcoming with details of the alleged incident while he was at the hospital.
The investigation took a turn when a video was uncovered that allegedly shows Delacruz and an accomplice confronting a man hiding behind a car, with Delacruz pointing his service weapon at him. After going off-camera for a moment, the accomplice then appears carrying clothing and sneakers as he walks next to Delacruz, while the victim is allegedly shown on video emerging in just a t-shirt and boxer shorts.
The victim, who was actually identified by Delacruz as one of the men who robbed him, also alleges he was pistol-whipped by him. The Brooklyn DA said Delacruz’s gun was found to have traces of the victim’s DNA, and that a shell casing recovered at the scene also matched Delacruz’s gun.
“This defendant’s alleged brazen and criminal behavior was in direct contradiction to the oath he took to protect and serve. “ Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “He then allegedly made a deplorable situation worse by falsely accusing multiple individuals of robbing him. We will now seek to hold him accountable.”
Delacruz faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. He is due back in court on March 21.
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3 Comments
Wow. I actually just witnessed last night a NYPD officer taking part in a robbery of a business across the street from me. I clicked through thinking this story might be about it. With cops like these, who needs bad guys?
Another shining example of New York’s finest. I’d imagine there are other victims out there. How does a thug like this ever pass a written exam, background check, psych test, and get hired by NYPD?
It’s a multiple choice test, so even a chimpanzee can theoretically score 100%
A good criminal can sometimes evade arrest for years, thus negating any background check, and a cunning psychopath can charm and/or con his way thru a psych eval .