WEST VILLAGE — An off-duty NYPD sergeant was filmed pointing a gun at bike messengers on Greenwich Avenue.
The incident occurred on Monday after the Sixth Precinct sergeant narrowly missed hitting one of the bike messengers, according to reports in the New York Daily News and ABC7.
The cyclist who recorded the video told the Daily News that the sergeant had his gun out as soon as he exited his car. The bike messengers told ABC7 the sergeant never showed them a badge or identified himself as a police officer.
Police said the bike messenger was arrested after punching the sergeant's side-view mirror, kicking the sergeant's front bumper and threatening him with a metal object he took out of his right front pants pocket.
"Do you want some of this?" the messenger, whose name was not released, asked the sergeant, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. He also said, "Come on, motherf—r," according to the spokeswoman.
The bike messenger was charged with criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and harassment, the spokeswoman said.
Sources said police have obtained video evidence that shows the arrested bike messenger threatened the sergeant with a weapon before the sergeant took out his gun.
Initial reports claimed the cyclist had an ice pick, but a police spokeswoman said the weapon was a set of Allen keys.
The police spokeswoman declined to comment on the off-duty sergeant and his gun other than to say the incident is under investigation.
On Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill said the department was looking into the matter.
“Any time there’s an off-duty incident, we investigate it," he said.
