MAX
COURIER L M BR B G IFE, JULY 5–11, 2019 23
Off-duty offi cer
sentenced for road
rage assault: DA
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
A judge handed down
a 60-day prison sentence
to a disgraced Brooklyn
cop on June 26 for violently
assaulting a man in
Midwood last year, overruling
prosecutors who
were seeking a lengthier
sentence, according to
the District Attorney’s
offi ce.
Michael Baror, 25,
was booted from the force
after a jury convicted
him on felony assault
and weapons possession
charges in March, following
a brutal fi t of road
rage on New Year’s Day
2018, according to prosecutors.
Brooklyn Supreme
Court Justice Danny
Chun issued the 60-day
sentence — along with
fi ve years probation —
to Baror on June 26, despite
requests from the
district attorney to lock
up the discharged offi cer
for a year, according to
prosecutors, who noted
that the convicted cop
was facing a maximum
of seven years in the big
house.
The victim, 29-yearold
James Nacmias, felt
the crime warranted a
lengthier sentence, but
took solace in the fact
that Baror was stripped
of his badge.
“It was a light sentence,
but I’m actually
surprised he got any jail
time. The DA was telling
me he might not get anything,
so that’s good,” he
said. “The fact that he got
thrown off the force is
what I really wanted, because
this was a complete
abuse of power.”
Baror — who formerly
patrolled Transit District
32 in Crown Heights —
was off duty and driving
his personal Jeep Cherokee
when he rear-ended
the car in front of him
near the intersection of
Avenue N and Bedford
Avenue at approximately
10:30 p.m., investigators
said.
Following the accident,
Baror got out of his
car and angrily brandished
a black handgun,
according to Nacmias.
“He hopped out of
the car and yelled something
like ‘Don’t f--- with
the NYPD.’ I didn’t even
think he was a cop,” said
Nacmias. “Usually a cop
would show you a badge,
not just whip out a gun
and point it at you.”
After a brief verbal
dispute, Baror pistol
whipped the muchsmaller
victim, and
repeatedly hit Nacmias
in the face with handcuffs,
before getting back
in his car and driving off,
the victim said.
“I’m a small guy, like
5’7” and 140 pounds. He’s
huge,” said Nacmias. “It
wasn’t a fi ght.”
The bruised victim
followed the off-duty patrolman
in his car for
several blocks, as both
vehicles ran multiple
red lights during a highspeed
chase that ended
when the victim’s car
smashed into Baror’s,
and the fugitive cop
made a getaway before
on-duty law enforcement
arrived, authorities
said.
Baror — who is seen
on surveillance video
with a full head of hair
and a thick beard during
the incident — was
sporting a buzz-cut and a
cleanly shaven face when
investigators arrested
him at his home the following
day, according to
prosecutors.
The cop used the
makeover to claim that
he was the victim of mistaken
identity, telling the
jury at his trial that he
was not the assailant —
a defense which Nacmias
called laughable.
“When I learned of his
defense I was shocked,”
he said. “I thought maybe
he would claim that it
was self-defense or something,
but when he said it
wasn’t him, I couldn’t believe
it. He’s on the video
— you can see him clear
as day.”
The DA blasted the
one-time cop’s conduct as
particularly heinous.