By Sheetal Banchariya, Barry Williams and Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — A Bronx mugger accused of brutally assaulting an off-duty NYPD officer and robbing him of his gun, then fleeing to Virginia disguised with a woman’s wig, was brought back to New York early Thursday and charged with attempted murder of a police officer, officials said.
Wayne Lucas, 23, is also facing attempted robbery, attempted aggravated assault of a police officer, and weapons possession for the May 24 attack against Police Officer Chowdhury Nafees, officials said.
Wearing the same light-gray Nike hoodie and sweatpants he was arrested in, Lucas said nothing in Bronx Supreme Court in front of a gallery of uniformed officers, as Assistant District Attorney Paul Irace described how Lucas and his accomplice, Taveon Hargrove, knocked Officer Nafees to the ground and robbed him.
“During the course of the robbery, this defendant held a knife to the victim’s neck while the co-defendant went through his property and took various items, including his loaded service pistol,” Irace said. “[When] they found out that he was an officer, this defendant continued the robbery, and [Hargrove] stomped the victim’s head so hard into the ground that, over a week after this robbery, he still bore the shoe print in his face.”
Extradition proceedings for Hargrove, also 23, were ongoing, cops said.
“He’s hiding right now in Virginia, refusing to come back and face consequences here in the Bronx,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said outside court Thursday. “He needs to come back here and face consequences. Face these police officers. Because you attack one of our police officers, you attack every New York City police officer, and we will stay united until justice is served for our brother police officer.”
Nafees, 27, was coming home from work and was wearing a jacket over his NYPD uniform when Lucas and Hargrove attacked the cop at knifepoint near St. Peters and Tratman Aves. in Westchester Square around 4:15 a.m. , cops said.
The pair ran up to Nafees, threatened him with a knife, and beat him unconscious, police said.
A good Samaritan called police after discovering Nafees unconscious on the pavement, and medics rushed him to a local hospital in critical condition, according to an online fundraiser created to help cover Nafees’ medical bills and support his family.
Horrific surveillance video recovered during the attack shows two men knocking Nafees onto the ground on his back, then repeatedly punching him in the face. After they rifle through his pockets, steal his gun and walk away, one of them backtracks to the victim and, in a final blow, viciously stomps on the helpless Nafees’ head.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark called the attack “egregious and brutal.”
“Upon learning that he was an officer, they took this as an invitation to turn up the violence, pushing him to the ground and stomping him on his head,” she said.
Nafees was released from the hospital last week, but he has a long road to recovery, his brother told the Daily News .
“The people in the hospital did a tremendous job bringing him back from what he was,” said Chowdhury Navid , 25. “We still don’t know the psychological cost. We still need some time to process the whole thing. We’ll talk to therapists, then we will know how deep it is.”
Immediately after the robbery Lucas and Hargrove both fled to Virginia Irace said.
“He was wearing a wig when he was arrested,” Irace said.
The disguise did not fool cops who arrested him.
“I’m pleased to announce that this afternoon, Wayne Lucas was taken into custody in Virginia just as the officer he so brutally assaulted was discharged from the hospital to the cheers of his NYPD family,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on X last Wednesday when Lucas was taken into custody.
“Come for one of us, & you’ll have the full force of the NYPD coming for you.”
Bronx Supreme Court Judge George Villegas ordered Lucas held without bail during the brief arraignment proceeding. Lucas’ attorney, Patrick Higgins reserved his bail application for a later date and declined to comment on the charges.
If convicted, Lucas is facing up to 25 years in prison, prosecutors said.
Hargrove was arrested in Virginia a day before Lucas was. Cops said they caught a break when Hargrove’s father, Jeffrey Hargrove , 55, was arrested for petty larceny and criminal possession of stolen property after he was allegedly caught using one of the beaten cop’s credit cards.
The elder Hargrove was released without bail after being arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court.
While Nafees’ wallet and cell phone were recovered, his service weapon has not been found, Irace said.
Nafees came to the United States from Bangladesh five years ago and dreamed of becoming an NYPD officer to help his family, who live in the Bronx . The rookie cop has been on the force since September and worked as a 911 dispatcher for two and half years before that.
Navid said he believes his brother was targeted because he is a cop.
“It’s not that they did it to a police officer,” Navid said. “They did it because he was a police officer. It was intentional. If you want my money, you want my wallet — take it. Anything you do after that is purely out of spite, against law and order, the NYPD and the nation itself.”
Clark, who visited Nafees in the hospital before he was released, hopes the young officer gets back to work soon.
“He’s a wonderful individual,” she said about Nafees. “A rookie from just September did not deserve this, but his job is to protect the very same people that caused him harm that day. So we’re wishing him a speedy recovery.”
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