A Port Authority Police inspector turned himself in to Manhattan prosecutors Tuesday to face charges he kicked a Republican Party official twice in the groin.
Inspector John Fitzpatrick surrendered at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to face assault charges about 7:30 a.m.
He is accused of attacking Arcadio Casillas outside the tony Union Club on Park Ave. and E. 37th St. in Murray Hill on Jan. 9.
During the road rage incident, Casillas boasted that he knows President Trump.
Fitzpatrick claimed Casillas fell down during the argument, according to court papers.
“I got into a verbal altercation with a passenger of a yellow taxi,” Fitzpatrick told the PAPD’s central police desk. “The guy poked at me. The passenger then fled the scene at Park Ave. and 37th St.
“When the guy got out of the vehicle, he slipped on the ice and fell.”
Outside courthouse after his arraignment, Fitzgerald suggested Casillas escalated the situation which didn’t even involve him initially — it involved the cab driver.
“He kept asking for my shield and my ID card … He just lost his mind,” he said.
Fitzgerald also said that he has been called a “teddy bear” by his pals on the job.
Fitzpatrick’s lawyer Marvyn Kornberg said the charges are false – and that video shows Casillas walking away from the scene, not doubled over in pain.
“Mr. Casillas threatened to have my client’s shield because he knows Donald Trump,” Kornberg told the Daily News. “Apparently he’s trying to fulfill that promise.”
Kornberg said Fitzpatrick previously met with the DA and filed a cross complaint against Casillas for assault and obstructing governmental administration.
“For whatever reason, known only to the District Attorney’s office, they have not conceded to our request for a cross complaint,” he said.
“One mistake my client did make, perhaps, is he should have made an arrest at the scene as opposed to letting this guy go.”
Kornberg says that the conflict began when Fitzpatrick ordered a cab to pull over because it had cut him off in order to pick up Casillas.
“This guy should not have interfered,” Kornberg said of Casillas. “He wanted to get home early … It doesn’t warrant saying ‘I know Donald Trump, and I’m going to have your shield.’… and then he pushes my client.”
Fitzpatrick was not injured, Kornberg said.
Casillas’ website describes him as a Cuban-born entrepreneur and businessman who worked on the campaigns of Trump, both President Bushes, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.
He has given more than $175,000 in personal contributions to Republican candidates and groups since 1997, including $2,700 to Trump in July.
Fitzpatrick made $163,176 working for the Port Authority in 2016, according to public records. He worked for the MTA police before joining the Port Authority.
Prior to the road rage incident, Fitzpatrick was visiting the Union Club with a man who is a member.
Union Club rules require a jacket and tie, and jeans are banned as are the use of cell phones in the “common” areas. People using the squash courts must wear white.
Fitzpatrick was released on his own recognizance Tuesday by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Phyllis Chu.
He was charged with assault in the third degree, attempted assault and harassment.
Chu issued an order of protection in favor of Casillas.
With SHAYNA JACOBS
