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Firefighter Accused of Assaulting Forest Hills Cop Suspended for 30 Days

 An off-duty cop was assaulted after leaving the 112th Precinct.
An off-duty cop was assaulted after leaving the 112th Precinct.
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DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

QUEENS — A firefighter accused of assaulting a Forest Hills off-duty cop, was suspended without pay for 30 days, Fire Department officials said Tuesday.

Angel Valerio, 30, was accused of assaulting and trying to rob the cop on June 30, on Austin Street, just steps from the 112th Precinct stationhouse where the officer worked, according to the Queens District Attorney's office.

The cop, who had just left work, identified himself as an officer and tried to call 911, but Valerio and four other men allegedly kept assaulting him, according to the criminal complaint. The men also allegedly tried to take his service weapon.

A spokesman for the Fire Department said in an e-mail that "FDNY members who are arrested or charged with a crime face possible disciplinary action and/or suspension."

He would not say what the Fire Department response would be, if Valerio is convicted.

Valerio, who is assigned to Engine 15 on the Lower East Side, has been with the Department for five years, fire officials said.

The firefighter was also arrested in 2011 for knocking his girlfriend to the ground at his Brooklyn apartment, punching and choking her and tossing her against the wall, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office said.

In the most recent case, Valerio was charged with assault, attempted robbery and attempted criminal possession of a weapon for trying to grab the cop's gun. He was freed after paying $1,000 bail and is due back in court on July 29.

Valerio’s lawyer declined to comment on the case.