An NYPD officer who has seven years on the force turned himself in on Thursday after he was accused of assaulting a female MTA worker who was on duty at a Bronx subway station. After Officer Mirjan Lolja, 37, saw himself in a surveillance video on the news, he elected to turn himself in at the 25th Precinct in Harlem where he works.
According to the New York Daily News:
The officer said he fought with the conductor after she cursed at him for asking when the next train would arrive. When he demanded her ID and took out his phone to take a picture of her, she grabbed it, prompting a struggle, he alleged.
The NYPD says that Lolja is accused of putting the MTA worker into a bear hug, throwing her to the floor and choking her. She was subsequently hospitalized with minor back and neck injuries. The police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is looking into the incident. No formal charges have been filed.
The Daily News spoke with Joe Costales, chairman of Transport Workers Union Local 100, who was shocked by the allegations, saying, “I’m totally outraged. We’re not safe with members of the public, and now we’re not safe from the police.”
(Photo: MTA Surveillance)
