crimes and misdemeanors

Off-Duty Cop Arrested for Raping a Woman in Inwood

Less than three months after two NYPD officers were cleared of most charges in the alleged rape of a drunken woman, an NYPD officer was arrested this morning after witnesses saw him raping a woman in Inwood. Michael Pena, a three-year veteran of the police force, reportedly asked a woman for directions around 6:45 a.m. this morning, then forced her into a courtyard around West 217th Street and raped her at gunpoint. The incident sounds both horrifying and, according to accounts of how it unfolded, bizarre. According to DNA Info:

One neighbor, who asked to have his name withheld due to safety concerns, said he saw what appeared to be a man and woman outside his window having sex after waking up to loud noises.

When he confronted the man, saying, “Dude, I live here,” the suspect responded by holding up his hand, saying, “Just give me a minute.”

The witness said he then noticed the suspect, who flashed a badge at some point, holding a gun to the woman’s head. The witness then called the police.

In the Post’s version of events, Pena reportedly said, “I’m almost done. I’m almost finished. We’ll be out of here soon,” as if someone was asking him to share a piece of exercise equipment and not expressing concern about him raping a person. According to ABC 7, Pena was “believed to have been intoxicated at the time of the assault.”

Off-duty cop arrested in alleged rape [NYP]
NYPD Cop Suspected of Gunpoint Rape in Inwood [DNA Info]
NYPD Officer arrested on rape charges [ABC 7]

Off-Duty Cop Arrested for Raping a Woman in Inwood