An NYPD officer was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly pointing a gun at a civilian employee inside One Police Plaza, the Police Department’s headquarters, earlier this year.
Photo by Dean Moses
An NYPD officer was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly pointing a gun at a civilian employee inside One Police Plaza, the Police Department’s headquarters, earlier this year.
Quilbvio Espinal, a ten-year veteran of the department, sat in court emotionless as he heard the charges against him. According to statements made on the record by prosecutors, Espinal stands accused of threatening a female colleague with his off-duty firearm.
Court records show the alleged incident unfolded at around 12:30 p.m. on March 26. Espinal, who worked at the Information Security Office, allegedly pulled his gun out of his holster and aimed it at the victim, Megan Kwan.
Kwan had just spoken to another colleague next to Espinal about a project about 15 minutes earlier, which allegedly sent the cop into a fit of rage, prosecutors said.
Espinal allegedly stood up from his workstation and drew his gun before slowly raising it at Kwan. Law enforcement sources said he then allegedly lowered the gun and placed it in another civilian’s desk. He was later arrested after Kwan alerted a supervisor.
“Nobody should have to experience the kind of menacing and dangerous behavior alleged in this troubling incident,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Espinal was suspended from the department, and his firearm was confiscated.
Prosecutors said that Kwan filed a civil lawsuit against Espinal, alleging that he sexually harassed her and repeatedly sent her sexually charged text messages.
Robert Gottlieb, Espinal’s attorney, disputed that his client ever pointed the firearm at Kwan; however, he did not comment on whether he did unholster the weapon.
“What I’m going to make clear. He never, at any time, intended or did point a gun at anybody. Never. It never happened,” Gottlieb said. “You will see that there was no basis for any criminal charges.”
Espinal was released on his own recognizance, and an order of protection has been issued.
