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Ex-NYPD Officer Says He Was Attacked In Bar Over #MAGA Cap Misunderstanding


By

Jake Offenhartz

Published Feb 12, 2020


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An NYPD officer was wounded in the face for wearing a 'Make Fifty Great Again' hat to a Nashville bar

 


By

Jake Offenhartz

Published Feb 12, 2020


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A Trump-supporting ex-NYPD cop wants to press charges against a woman who allegedly punched him in the face at a Nashville bar this weekend after misreading his #MAGA-referencing red cap.

Daniel Sprague, a Staten Island resident and retired NYPD detective, says he was celebrating his 50th birthday with friends and family at The Stage Bar on Friday when he was confronted by the unidentified woman.

Recounting the incident on Facebook, he explained: "A misguided soul possibly not alone, who I’m assuming was not very literate, spun me around, punch me in the face and grabbing my hat while she was yelling 'how dare you' leading me to think she thought it was a MAGA hat."

He was in fact wearing a "Make Fifty Great Again," and an American flag-emblazoned shirt reading "Making America Great Since 1970." (Sprague appears to be fond of these sort of send-ups.)

Thank You Everyone for Your Concerns and Birthday Wishes Joe Borelli Donald J. Trump . Other then the unfortunate...

Posted by Daniel Patrick on Monday, February 10, 2020

A spokesperson for the Nashville police department confirmed that Sprague filed a police report, but his alleged assailant remains at large.

In the meantime, he appears intent on raising awareness for what he's describing as "Trump Derangement Syndrome." He's shared the incident with President Trump, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and NYC Councilmember Joe Borelli. So far, Borelli is the only one who's responded.

While Sprague didn't respond to Gothamist's request for comment, he did tell WSMV-Nashville that the attack put a damper on his otherwise pleasant birthday weekend.

"People were just coming up to me and loving the little wordplay on the hat and taking pictures," he told the outlet. "This is wrong. You can't just go around as a society because someone has a political opinion that, you know, doesn't match theirs... She has issues. I feel bad for her."

Perhaps current and former NYPD officers should just stop vacationing in Nashville until we figure out what the hell is going on?

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Jake Offenhartz

Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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