A man posing as an NYPD cop accused of pepper-spraying a tourist at a lower Manhattan subway station has been identified as an ex-con who did six years in prison, cops said Saturday.
Dominic Ogrady, who also goes by the alias Domingo Diaz, sparked the bizarre incident at 6:35 p.m. June 23 at the Whitehall St.-South Ferry station on the uptown R train platform.
Ogrady, 35, was at the station when he saw the family enter the station through an open exit gate without paying the fare, cops said.
Sporting a fake NYPD detective shield, he confronted one of the family members, a 46-year-old man, who blew him off.
DCPI
The NYPD released images of the suspect in torn jean shorts and a T-shirt and sporting a fake police badge. (NYPD)
“I’m a real cop conducting an operation,” Ogrady insisted, according to police. He then got on his phone and said he’s a cop making a “collar” — police jargon for an arrest — for theft of service, the charge that covers fare evasion.
When the father tried to walk away, Ogrady pepper-sprayed him in the back of the head. The victim took a taxi to Bellevue Hospital to be treated for burns and swelling on his face.
Police said Ogrady jumped on an uptown R train. Cops recovered surveillance footage of him leaving the 8th Street-NYU station after getting off the train.
On Thursday, the NYPD released pictures of the suspect — and his fake shield — and asked the public’s help identifying and tracking him down.
Investigators later identified the bogus cop as Ogrady. Under his alias Domingo Diaz, he served six years in prison after he was caught with a firearm in Harlem on Oct. 18, 2007 and was convicted of attempted weapons possession. He was released from prison in 2014.
His criminal record also has arrests for grand larceny and possession of a forged instrument, police said.
Cops are asking anyone with information about Ogrady’s whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
