Northeast
Violent assault on off-duty NYPD rookie uncovers tensions with police safety and force protocols
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The brother of 27-year-old New York City Police Department officer Chowdhury Nafees, who was beaten by two men in the Bronx Saturday, told Fox News Digital the suspects in the attack “escalated” their brutality after finding out Nafees was a police officer.
That has prompted conversations about use-of-force policies that may prevent law enforcement from protecting themselves.
Wayne Lucas, 23, and Taveon Hargrove, 23, were arrested in the assault that left Nafees, who was in uniform on his way home from work, “horribly mutilated.”
Just before 4 a.m. Saturday, Lucas and Hargrove allegedly forced the off-duty rookie officer to the ground, stomping on his face and causing multiple fractures.
They then allegedly held a knife to his throat before forcibly removing his wallet, iPhone and gun and running away.
Chowdhury Nafees was in the hospital for days after being transported by EMS in critical condition. (Fund the First)
NYPD HUNTS FOR MAN ACCUSED OF BEATING OFF-DUTY COP AND STEALING HIS GUN, ALLEGED ACCOMPLICE ARRESTED
Nafees’ partner called the family and told them “something happened,” but they remained in the dark until the 45th precinct confirmed he had been rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
Chowdhury Navid, Nafees’ brother, told Fox News Digital he and his mother went to the hospital and found Nafees unconscious and bleeding from his eyes.
NYPD Officer Chowdhury Nafees is discharged from the hospital. (@NYPDPC)
“The left eye was completely, horribly mutilated,” Navid said. “There was a bootstrap on his face, which was clear that somebody stomped him very, very violently. You can see the tracks on his face. It was a horrible sight to see my brother, who I love the most, and someone who I always look up to … to be in a place where he’s completely helpless.”
Chowdhury suffered severe head trauma and will need reconstructive surgery. His left orbital bone and right cheekbone were also fractured, among other injuries.
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Navid recounted his father’s reaction when he arrived at the hospital a short time later.
“My dad is a very strong man,” he said. “I never saw him cry ever in his life. This is the first time I saw him break apart.”
While the attack appeared to be random, Navid said it “escalated dramatically” when the suspects found out his brother was in law enforcement.
NYPD officer Chowdhury Nafees sustained serious injuries to the head in the Bronx attack. (Fund the First)
“My brother recalled with one of the investigators [that the suspects learned he was a police officer because he was] wearing a vest on top of his uniform,” he said. “When they found out, my brother said he heard them saying, ‘Ah, s—. This is a cop.’ After that, everything escalated.”
“They absolutely hated it,” Navid added. “If they could, they would have killed him.”
Retired NYPD Det. Robert Garland, who is helping the family raise money for Nafees’ recovery, called for justice and challenged the department to be proactive in protecting officers.
“In an act like this, justice needs to be served,” Garland told Fox News Digital. “What I mean by that is not going to jail for three or five years. This is an attack on a police officer … and, in my eyes, this is an attempted murder. They should be in jail for life, or they should be up against the death penalty. Something like this should never happen again.”
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Law enforcement agencies’ use-of-force protocols can also lead to an apathetic attitude toward officers and dissuade them from protecting themselves, according to Garland.
“That officer was scared about what he would do, about what his actions would be and how the job — the NYPD — would treat him if he took action,” he said.
“Those perpetrators had a knife to him,” Garland added. “Could you imagine if he shot, if he drew his firearm and said, ‘Police don’t move,’ and shot. By law, he had every right to do that. But he’s thinking at that moment, ‘Should I do that? Am I going to lose my job? Am I going to be held publicly on trial?’ … All those things will absolutely happen, and it’s terrible. … Officers should be allowed to uphold the law.”
NYPD Officer Chowdhury Nafees leaves the hospital in a wheelchair as fellow officers offer their support. (@NYPDPC)
The same concerns could affect potential recruits’ likelihood of taking the oath of office.
“People are afraid to take the job because they’re afraid of losing it,” Gardland said. “They’re afraid of repercussions. They’re afraid of being transferred in the middle of the night.
“The job needs to change, and that camaraderie needs to come back,” he added. “Unions, brotherhoods, everything has to come together and [they all need to] be there for one another. Unless that starts now and really gets tighter, no one’s going to want this job. … They have to keep intact that thin blue line.”
NYPD officers stand outside the hospital as Chowdhury Nafees is discharged. (@NYPDPC)
Nafees was released from the hospital Wednesday, though his family said he has a long road to recovery.
“His condition has improved dramatically over the last four or five days,” Navid said. “I’m really, really grateful to NYPD, [NYC] PBA, the people in the hospital, everybody. … It’s a miracle what they were able to pull off. I’m going to be honest with you. If it was not in the United States, he would have been dead.”
Though Nafees is an educated engineer, Navid said his brother wanted to go back to the field “because that’s his passion.”
“He could choose to make a lot of money just by doing [engineering], but he believes that this country needs more people on the street, serving the communities, way more than there is a need for engineers,” Navid said.
BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS CHAOTIC MOMENTS LEADING UP TO FATAL OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING
“He’s driven by honor, driven by the necessity of the people,” he added. “He’s one of those few people who will come [to] the front, and take the risk to do what’s right for everybody.”
As of Friday, Fund the First, a fundraising platform started by Garland, raised just over $20,000 in donations for Nafees’ family.
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Rainbow flags are flying in the South End as the neighborhood prepares to celebrate Boston’s LGBTQ community at Saturday’s Pride for the People Parade.
Three hundred different organizations with about 12,000 people are expected to participate in what will be the city’s nearly 60th Pride parade.
”There are still things that we are fighting for today, and so we want to remember those that fought before us,” said Adrianna Boulin, of Boston Pride for the People.
The Pride for the People Parade and Festival is happening Saturday in Boston, among other events across New England.
This year’s theme is Pride as Protest – 1776, and organizers say Pride will always be a protest.
“The fact that we are here, the fact that in the midst of what is really an attack LGBTQ people’s rights by legislatures across the country, by our own federal government — we’re here to protest and say we’re not going anywhere,” said Gary Daffin of Boston Pride for the People.
The parade is nearly 2 miles. It starts in Copley Square and works its way through a number of streets in the South End and the Back Bay before ending on Charles Street between the Public Garden and the Common.
Not going to the parade? Watch NBC10 Boston’s coverage wherever you get your news, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are producing at the plate and its something they’ve done throughout this season.
The Pirates continued that in their most recent series vs. the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, scoring 24 total runs and winning two of three games in their first series of the month.
Pittsburgh won 10-6 in the series opener on June 2, fell 11-9 on June 3 and then won 5-1 in the series finale on June 4.
The Pirates put up good enough performances to win all three games from the plate and it’s the main reason they’ve had so much success this season.
Pirates Offense Takes Liftoff in Houston
The Pirates swept the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park, May 29-31, prior to this series and scored 25 total runs, marking 49 over the past six games, good for more than eight runs per contest.
Pittsburgh has shown their power this season and they hit six home runs vs. the Astros to keep it going.
Catcher Endy Rodríguez hit a two-run home run to tie the game up 2-2 in the second inning of the series opener, center fielder Oneil Cruz hit a three-run home run to give the Pirates a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning and then second baseman Brandon Lowe sealed the win with a three-run home run in the eighth inning to make it 9-4.
Fellow catcher Henry Davis hit the first grand slam of his career in the second game of the series to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead int he fourth inning and second baseman Nick Gonzales hit a two-run home run, his second of the season, extending the Pirates’ lead to 7-3 in the seventh inning.
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn hit the sole home run in the series finale, a two-run home run to make it 4-0 in the sixth inning, and finished with three RBI in the victory.
Cruz had a great series in Houston, with six hits and four walks, while Gonzales also tied him with six hits and three RBI.
Outfielder Jake Mangum had four hits and two stolen bases in the series opener and played some solid defense in the series finale too.
Pirates Hitters vs. Astros
|
Player |
Hits/At-Bats |
Walks |
RBI |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Oneil Cruz |
6-for-14 |
4 |
3 |
|
Nick Gonzales |
6-for-13 |
1 |
3 |
|
Jake Mangum |
5-for-9 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ryan O’Hearn |
3-for-10 |
1 |
3 |
|
Brandon Lowe |
3-for-14 |
1 |
3 |
|
Bryan Reynolds |
2-for-12 |
2 |
1 |
|
Endy Rodríguez |
2-for-9 |
1 |
3 |
|
Jared Triolo |
1-for-9 |
4 |
1 |
The Pirates haven’t had to rely on just one person this season, as they’ve gotten contributions from almost everyone in the lineup on a consistent basis.
Pittsburgh saw that happen against Houston, with different players stepping up in different games to come through and provide runs and hits.
How Pirates Offense Stacks Up to Rest of MLB
The Pirates rank statistially amongst the best teams in baseball and are in the top five/top 10 teams in most categories.
Pirates 2026 Stats and NL/MLB ranking
|
Stat (Total) |
NL/MLB Ranking |
|---|---|
|
Hits (560) |
1st/1st |
|
OBP (.339) |
2nd/2nd |
|
Stolen Bases (62)/Batting Average (.256) |
3rd/3rd |
|
OPS (.744) |
3rd/4th) |
|
Walks (251)/Slugging % (.405) |
(3rd/5th) |
|
RBI (310)/Runs (325) |
4th/4th |
|
Home Runs (74) |
6th/10th |
It’s a dramatic change from last season, where they were arguably the worst hitting team in baseball, ranking dead-last or close to the bottom of most of these same statistical categories.
The offseason additions of O’Hearn and Lowe have been massive for the Pirates, both of whom have brought veteran leadership, but also great production at the plate.
O’Hearn has slashed .295/.371/.486 for an OPS of .857 in 48 games, with 51 hits, six doubles, nine home runs, 33 RBI and 20 walks to 39 strikeouts.
Lowe leads the Pirates and ranks 4th in the National League/11th in baseball with 15 home runs, eighth in the NL/16th in MLB with 40 RBI, seventh in NL/13th in MLB with a .532 slugging percentage and 10th in NL/20th in MLB with a .873 OPS.
Cruz is having a big rebound season and is slashing .269/.349/.482 for an OPS of .831 in 61 games, with 45 runs scored, 66 hits, 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 44 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
He is second in baseball with stolen bases, ranks tied for third in NL/tied for sixth in MLB in runs scored, tied for fifth in NL/tied for sixth in MLB in RBI, tied for 8th in NL/tied for 14th in MLB in hits, tied for seventh in NL/tied for 16th in MLB in home runs, while ranking 21st in baseball in slugging percentage and 25th in OPS.
Bryan Reynolds has also been excellent with his plate discipline, tied for the sixth-most walks in baseball (44) and has the ninth-best on-base percentage (.397), while Spencer Horwitz isn’t too far behind with the a .386 on-base percentage, 17th-best in baseball.
Gonzales has been one of the best hitters in baseball, with his .313 batting average eighth-best in MLB.
Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin had a solid May and if the likes of Mangum, Rodríguez, Davis, fellow rookie Jhostynxon Garcia can join in more consistently, this Pirates lineup will continue playing a big role in a lot of wins the rest of the season.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
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