By Jon Schuppe
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A teenager shot in the groin by an off-duty police officer is disputing accounts that the officer identified himself before pulling the trigger.
Joseph Peralta, 18, thought the officer was "a thug" when a group of friends squared off against the officer, lawyer Stacey Richman said.
"He didn't identify himself as a cop," Richman told the Daily News Sunday after Peralta and two other teenagers were arraigned on charges stemming from the pre-Halloween "mischief night" confrontation.
The fight started at about 12:14 a.m. Saturday, when the officer was walking westbound on W. 170th Street near Fort Washington Avenue, police said. He got into an argument with about five men and boys, and called 911 for help.
While he waited for backup, the argument turned into a physical fight, police said. The officer ended up pinned against a parked car by one of the suspects, while another picked up a metal trash can. That's when the officer identified himself, drew his gun, and fired one round, police said.
Peralta was hit in the groin and taken to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. The officer, who the NYPD has not identified, was treated for cuts on the back of his head.
The New York Post reported that the officer is a 34-year-old Bronx narcotics investigator who was walking home after work.
Peralta and one of his friends, Carlos Pimental, 16, were charged with attempted assault, the News reported. A third man, Jeffrey Aristy, 18, was charged with felony assault.
Peralta's father told the Post that his son was defending his friend from the officer, who had attacking them.
"My son came to defend his friend," Paulino Peralta said. "He didn't identify himself as a police officer. What would have happened if he had killed my son?"
