An NYPD officer has been charged for allegedly punching, pistol-whipping and shooting a man outside a Canarsie lounge last month.
The defendant, Larry Valdemar — a 16-year veteran of the NYPD last assigned to 104th Precinct in Queens — was arraigned Monday before the Brooklyn Supreme Court on charges of second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and other related counts.
“After a review of all the evidence in this case, a Grand Jury returned an indictment charging this defendant with attempted murder and other charges,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a statement. “The fact that this defendant is a police officer makes his alleged actions all the more shocking. We will now seek to hold him accountable for his actions.”
On April 18, 2022, Valdemar got into a verbal argument inside Chloe’s Restaurant and Bar, located near the corner of Avenue L and East 94th Street. The victim intervened to attempt to calm down the defendant, which the borough’s top prosecutor says made Valdemar more angry.
The perp allegedly proceeded to wait outside the club for the victim to leave and at around 12:45 a.m., the victim and several other people passed by the defendant who purportedly said something to him and walked alongside him until they reached the corner.
Once there, the defendant punched the victim in the face. When the victim tried to turn around and hit the defendant, Valdemar — who was off-duty at the time — allegedly reached into his waistband for his firearm and pistol-whipped the victim in his upper back. The gun discharged once and the victim fled the scene.
The victim was treated for a gunshot wound to his arm and a gunshot wound to his back.
The defendant’s gun was matched to the crime from a casing of a 9mm pistol was found at the scene.
Valdemar was ordered held on bail for $35,000 cash or $75,000 bond. His next court date is July 13, 2022 and faces a maximum 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count.
