A Bronx mugger who brutally assaulted an off-duty NYPD officer and robbed him of his gun before fleeing to Virginia disguised with a woman’s wig was apprehended early Thursday and charged with attempted murder of a police officer, officials said.
Wayne Lucas, 23, is also charged with attempted robbery, attempted aggravated assault of a police officer, and possession of weapons in connection with the May 24 attack on police officer Chowdhury Nafees, according to officials.
His arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court was pending.
Officer Nafees, 27, was on his way home from work and wearing a jacket over his NYPD uniform when Lucas and Taveon Hargrove, both 23, attacked him at knifepoint near St. Peters and Tratman Aves. in Westchester Square around 4:15 a.m., police said.
According to authorities, the pair approached Nafees, threatened him with a knife, and beat him until he lost consciousness.
A good Samaritan contacted police after discovering Nafees unconscious on the street, and medics transported him to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to an online fundraiser set up to assist in covering Nafees’ medical expenditures and support his family.
Horrific security video captured during the incident shows two individuals slamming Nafees to the ground on his back and continuously hitting him in the face. They dig through his pockets, seize his gun, and walk away before one of them returns to the victim and savagely stomps on the hapless Nafees’ skull.
Nafees was released from the hospital last week, but his brother told the Daily News he still has a long road to recovery.
“The people in the hospital did a tremendous job bringing him back from what he was,” said Chowdhury Navid, 25. “We still don’t know the psychological cost. We still need some time to process the whole thing. We’ll talk to therapists, then we will know how deep it is.”
Both Lucas and Hargrove fled to Virginia.
Last Wednesday night, police apprehended Lucas wearing a woman’s wig, a disguise that did not deceive them.
“I’m pleased to announce that this afternoon, Wayne Lucas was taken into custody in Virginia just as the officer he so brutally assaulted was discharged from the hospital to the cheers of his NYPD family,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on X.
“Come for one of us, & you’ll have the full force of the NYPD coming for you.”
A day earlier, police arrested Hargrove. Police noted that extradition efforts to bring him back to New York were still underway.
Police say they got a break when Hargrove’s father, Jeffrey Hargrove, 55, was arrested for petty larceny and criminal possession of stolen property after reportedly using one of the battered cop’s credit cards.
The elder Hargrove was released without bail after appearing in Bronx Criminal Court.
Nafees moved to the United States from Bangladesh five years ago, hoping to become an NYPD officer to support his family in the Bronx. The rookie cop has been with the force since September, having previously served as a 911 dispatcher for two and a half years.
Navid believes his brother’s targeting stems from his police background.
“It’s not that they did it to a police officer,” Navid said. “They did it because he was a police officer. It was intentional. If you want my money, you want my wallet — take it. Anything you do after that is purely out of spite, against law and order, the NYPD and the nation itself.”