USPS Worker Arrested for Threatening NYPD Officer After Subway Incident

A federal employee affiliated with the US Postal Service was taken into custody after allegedly threatening an NYPD officer following a subway stop. The incident began when police issued a summons to the worker for carrying pepper spray on the subway.

Dontae Lyles, age 21, was arrested after reportedly calling the officer and making aggressive threats, including, “I’m going to get you.” He also sent multiple threatening text messages, some containing images of a firearm, and claimed, “This is what a real gun looks like,” and “I will see you guys soon.”

The police initially encountered Lyles on a northbound 6 train around 4:45 a.m., where he was found with a large can of pepper spray. He was removed at the Parkchester Avenue station and issued a ticket for possessing the spray while in transit.

Within an hour, the officer received several blocked calls from Lyles. After redialing, he heard a voice resembling the suspect’s, reciting the officer’s name and what appeared to be his home address, stating, “I’m not messing around, I’m coming for you.” Lyles allegedly made 19 additional calls and sent numerous text messages, including images of a gun and a video showing a magazine being removed from a firearm.

A subsequent search of Lyles’s residence uncovered a firearm matching the one in the images and materials linked to ghost gun manufacturing. He now faces charges of making terrorist threats, harassment, and multiple weapons possession counts related to the firearm and ghost gun components.