By Selim Algar and Jennifer Fermino
The New York Post
NASSAU COUNTY, NY — An “intoxicated” off-duty Nassau County cop was caught on video whipping out his loaded service gun and aiming it at the unlucky bartender who happened to be serving him drinks, authorities and sources said yesterday.
The pistol-happy cop’s barroom bravado led authorities to suspend him without pay.
He’s also been stripped of his favorite party toy - his service weapon. In the bar surveillance video, the police officer - whom sources identified as Richard Heffron - is seen pulling out his gun while bartender Charlie Ball pours a drink at the South Main Street Pub in Farmingdale.
When the unsuspecting Ball finishes his pour and turns back to his customers, he was greeted with the terrifying sight of a gun in his face.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening,” Ball told WNBC/Channel 4. “It was really a crazy, surreal situation.”
It began when the cop entered the bar with a pal and ordered a drink.
“By their own admission, they said they had frequented a number of joints beforehand,” Ball told Channel 4. “I think he was drunk.”
A Nassau County police source said Heffron was “intoxicated” during the incident. A stunned Ball said he has no idea what “set the officer off” and prompted him to aim his gun at him.
“This guy seemed like he was on an emotional roller coaster,” Ball said.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen. You got a gun in your face - somebody could have gotten killed.”
Shortly after he pulled a gun on him, the cop and his companion ambled off. But the officer came back several hours later looking for more drinks - despite the fact that he was “incoherent” by that point, the bar’s owner said.
During that boozy second visit, the cop feebly apologized to the bartender for wielding his gun at him. That wasn’t enough to satisfy Ball. After finishing his shift, he called the Nassau police.
“I just want him off the street,” Ball said.
“He’s drinking, driving around and he’s got this gun. It’s a big concern.”
In addition to the department’s internal investigation, the Nassau County district attorney has launched a probe.
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