NYPD Officer Pulled Gun on Female Colleague After 'Incessant' Sexual Harassment, Lawsuit Alleges

A New York Police Department officer pointed a loaded gun at a female subordinate's face inside the department's headquarters at 1 Police Plaza in March, following months of relentless sexual harassment that was often joined by a supervisor, according to a bombshell lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court. The suit against Officer Quilbvio Espinal, 35, a 10-year veteran, details the events leading to his March 26 arrest on misdemeanor menacing charges, which are being prosecuted by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.

The incident, as described by civilian employee Megan Kwan, 25, occurred after she made a suggestion about a website Espinal was working on that apparently embarrassed him. Espinal, assigned to the cybersecurity team in the Information Technology Bureau, allegedly pulled out his department-issued weapon when the director left the room, aimed it directly at Kwan, then raised it toward the ceiling.

Kwan tried to de-escalate, asking, "What are you going to do, shoot the ceiling?" which prompted Espinal to point the gun back at her. He then placed the loaded firearm in an unsecured desk drawer in a civilian employee's workspace, where it remained unattended for an hour.

"When he pointed that gun at my face, time stopped. My only thought was that I was going to die at my own desk, and that I would never see the people I love again," Kwan said in a statement.

The suit alleges that for 18 months before the gun incident, Espinal and Lt. Jayson Valentin, a former sergeant in the unit, subjected Kwan to near-daily sexualized and racist remarks.

Espinal allegedly made explicit comments about Kwan being Asian, sent racist and pornographic video content, and mocked deaf women—Kwan is hard of hearing and relies on hearing aids and lip-reading. Valentin is accused of laughing at and participating in the abuse, and allegedly sent Kwan a picture of his genitals on a self-deleting messaging app.

After Kwan reported Espinal, she says Valentin pressured her to stonewall prosecutors, and another supervisor, Lt. Ming Zheng, questioned what civilians had done to "provoke" Espinal.

The NYPD declined to comment beyond confirming Espinal is suspended with pay. The lawsuit names the NYPD, Espinal, and Valentin as defendants, alleging sexual harassment, racial harassment, disability-based harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation.

Kwan is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.