By Pascal
In the past decade, civil suits against the NYPD have more than doubled, hitting a record high of 9,500 in 2012. They’ve cost taxpayers $1 billion and tend to result from such outstanding police work as making false arrests and shooting people’s pets. Now, the city might be on the hook for another $90 million thanks to a NYPD officer who got drunk and allegedly started shooting at a stopped car for no apparent reason . . .
If you’re an Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day fan, you may remember that the two men suing the department—Joseph Felice and Robert Borrelli—were waiting at a red light when a drunken Officer Brendan Cronin (above) unloaded 14 shots into their vehicle. Felice was hit six times, but his friend was able to rush him to the hospital in time to save his life.
“I honestly don’t know how we survived this unprovoked ambush, or why he chose to single out Joe and myself for his vicious rampage,” Borrelli said, according to the AP.
Court documents obtained by the Lohud Journal News show that Cronin told police he had stopped at a bar after a day spent training at a NYPD shooting range. He had 10 drinks there and says he doesn’t remember much of what happened next. In addition to the civil suit, he now faces charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault and driving while intoxicated, reports the AP.
On the bright side, the NYPD is making the city safer by arresting dancing children and people who doze off on the subway.