A Brooklyn police officer on Tuesday was indicted for alleged assault, menacing and official misconduct on two separate on-duty incidents.
Quran McPhatter, 42, of the 72nd Precinct in Sunset Park, was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Phyllis Chu on a 13-count indictment in which he was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, four counts of official misconduct, two counts of third-degree attempted assault, one count of third-degree attempted coercion, and four counts of third-degree menacing, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
On August 3, 2025, at approximately 6:45pm on 41st Street between 5th and 7th Avenues in Sunset Park, a civilian saw an NYPD patrol car driving unsafely through a crowded area in the park. The patrol car was being driven by the defendant and the defendant’s partner was in the passenger seat. The civilian yelled at the defendant to slow down, and the defendant got out of the car and told the civilian to mind his own business, according to the DA.
The civilian then demanded the defendant’s badge number and when he was near the car door the defendant allegedly opened the door, almost striking the civilian, then sprayed pepper spray on the ground and left, according to Gonzalez.
Later that night, the civilian went to the 72nd Precinct to report the defendant and identified McPhatter in the lobby in street clothes and again asked for his badge number. McPhatter then allegedly responded by saying “I am not giving you anything,” and then pushed his chest up against the civilian’s chest. The two were separated by a sergeant and other officers. McPhatter allegedly threatened to knock out the civilian and told him to wait outside for the defendant, the DA said.
In a separate incident, on Oct. 24, 2025, at approximately 12:34pm near 140 58th St., McPhatter and his partner responded to a 60-year-old individual allegedly trespassing and told him to leave the area. A half-hour later they responded again, and the defendant arrested the individual, handcuffed him, allegedly berated him and threw him against the patrol car twice. The individual then was seated in the back seat and antagonizing the defendant, who was driving. During the car ride, the defendant allegedly reached into the backseat and grabbed the individual’s glasses off his face, the DA said.
When they arrived at the 72nd Precinct, the defendant brought the individual in front of the desk sergeant and allegedly called the individual “a big dummy” and when the individual responded, McPhatter allegedly slapped him in the face with an open hand. He was immediately taken off the case by the sergeant, Gonzalez said.
“Instead of using the de-escalation techniques NYPD officers are trained to employ, this defendant allegedly assaulted a person in custody and threatened a civilian who complained," Gonzalez said. "Trust between law enforcement and the public is essential to sustaining the hard-won gains that have driven homicide and gun violence in Brooklyn to record lows, and we will not allow an officer’s alleged misconduct to put our progress at risk."
McPhatter was released without bail and ordered to return to court on March 25.
