Sandy MaloneNew York, NY – A man was arrested after he pistol whipped and severely injured three people outside an Irish pub after the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City.
The New York Post initially published an incorrect story that reported an off-duty police officer had been arrested in the Saturday night attack, but later changed its story to reflect that 37-year-old Thomas Hickey was not, in fact, a police officer.
This is the second time in as many weeks that the New York Post has published erroneous, unconfirmed information, citing alleged New York Police Department (NYPD) sources.
The incident occurred at about 7:40 p.m. on March 16 when a large fight broke out on the sidewalk and in the street in front of Mulligan’s Pub on Madison Avenue, the New York Post reported.
Hickey held a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol in his right hand as he fought, cell phone video posted to social media by a bystander showed.
The video showed a melee outside the bar, with multiple people fighting.
All of a sudden, the man filming the video started yelling “he’s got a gun! He’s got a gun.”
As the fight continued, calls for someone to call the police are heard on the video.
“He’s punching girls in the face,” someone said off-camera.
A 42-year-old woman suffered a head wound and had to get five stitches, the New York Daily News reported.
“He’s pistol-whipping… He pistol-whipped him like eight times. He’s knocked out,” the man filming the video narrated.
Police arrived just after the fight wound down, and Hickey fled. Officers pursued him and took him into custody.
He was taken to Bellevue Hospital for injuries he sustained in the fight and was then booked into jail, the New York Post reported.
Hickey was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, assault, and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
The gun found in Hickey’s possession had been reported stolen by the Chesapeake City Police Department in Virginia, according to the New York Post.
“Sources” told the New York Post that Hickey’s criminal record included arrests for gang assault in 2003 and for criminal possession of marijuana in 1998.
A second man was arrested in connection with the same fight on March 16.
James Brady, 37, was arrested for assault after he allegedly punched and kicked victims in the face during the bruhaha, the New York Post reported.
Brady was previously arrested in March of 2014 on charges of aggravated unlicensed operator vehicle and burglary, according to the New York Post.
See the incident unfold in the video below: