An off-duty police officer and 16-year veteran of the NYPD has been indicted for assault, attempted murder and other related charges for allegedly punching, pistol-whipping and shooting a man outside of a lounge in Canarsie, announced the office of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on Monday.
Larry Valdemar, 37, was last assigned to the 104th Precinct in Queens. He is charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and other related counts.
The District Attorney said that on April 18, 2022, the defendant got into a verbal argument inside Chloe’s Restaurant and Lounge, located at Avenue L and East 94th Street, when the victim, a 32-year-old man, attempted to intervene to calm down the defendant, which allegedly caused him to become irate.
The defendant then allegedly went outside of the club and waited for the victim to leave the club. At approximately 12:45 a.m., the victim and several other people passed by the defendant, who allegedly said something to him and walked next to him until they reached the corner.
It is alleged that when they reached the corner, the defendant punched the victim in the face. The victim attempted to hit the defendant, who then allegedly reached into his waistband, removed a black firearm and pistol-whipped the victim on his upper back. The gun then discharged once, after which the defendant left the scene.
The victim was treated for a gunshot wound to his arm and a graze wound to his back.
A casing matching a 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene and was matched to the defendant’s firearm.
“The fact that this defendant is a police officer makes his alleged actions all the more shocking," Gonzalez said. "We will now seek to hold him accountable for his actions.”
The defendant was ordered held on bail of $35,000 cash or $75,000 bond and to return to court on July 13, 2022. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count.
