Karaoke Bar Waitress Sues NYPD Officer for Pointing a Gun at Her Head While Drunk

Karaoke Bar Waitress Sues NYPD Officer for Pointing a Gun at Her Head While Drunk
Bryan Ke
October 6, 2020
A police officer from Queens, New York is now being sued following an arrest and charge for drunkenly pointing a gun at a waitress’ head without cause in 2019.
The lawsuit: The victim, Hyunjung Ki, gave a detailed recap of what happened during the 2019 incident in her lawsuit filed under the Brooklyn Federal Court on Sept. 16, according to New York Daily News.
  • In her statement, Ki said on her first day of work that NYPD Officer Hyun Kim entered Apple Tree Café in Flushing around 10 p.m. on Oct. 8, 2019, with NYPD Sergeant Jung Kim.
  • The 115th Precinct officers, who arrived in plain clothing, allegedly flashed their guns when Ki and another colleague served them their drinks in a private room.
  • Then, the 26-year-old officer grabbed Ki’s hand during a verbal dispute and forced her to touch his gun tucked in a holster.
  • Ki’s co-worker asked them if they were in a gang, but Kim said no and revealed they were police officers.
  • As the waitress tried to leave the room, the officer stopped her and threatened her with murder.
  • “Do you know who I am? Do you know me? Sit still,” Kim told Ki as he began cursing at the waitress and banging his gun on the table. He also repeatedly called her a “f***ing b***h.”
More details: The statement further noted the sergeant during the incident did nothing to calm Kim down.
  • Two bullets eventually fell out of Kim’s pistol and Ki asked the officer, “Don’t you get in trouble if you lose something like this?”
  • The officer then pointed his gun at Ki’s head and shifted his focus to her co-worker who tried to enter the room. He ordered her to sit down, but instead of listening, she went out of the room to inform her manager and asked him to call the cops.
  • “Shortly thereafter, the owner and the manager went into the room, and are believed to have told them that the police had been called,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants left the Café premises shortly afterwards and could be seen outside the Café door on the sidewalk, talking between themselves, and one of them is believed to have dropped his gun.”
The aftermath: Following the incident, Ki and her co-worker went to the 109th Precinct to report Kim’s behavior at the bar.
  • Investigators who came to the bar recovered the bullets and magazines left by the two officers, Daily Mail reported.
  • Both officers were suspended and have been relieved of their duties without pay. The sergeant was not criminally charged.
  • Kim was charged with harassment and menacing. He was also given a desk appearance ticket.
  • However, his case is still pending and he is due to return in Queens Criminal Court on Oct. 20.
  • As for Ki, she reportedly returned to work the following day, but had to quit her job two days later, citing trauma and PTSD related to the incident as the reason.
Feature Image via Adrian Owen (CC BY 2.0)
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