An NYPD agitator who routinely goes online to attack New York’s Finest tried to get press photographers barred from his court appearance on menacing raps Tuesday — so he wouldn’t get harassed.
Terrell Harper, 42, pushed his lawyer to seek the special treatment as he faces menacing, mischief and burglary charges for allegedly hurling a burning hat at the officer’s home during a demonstration he shared footage of online last week.
Harper’s lawyer had initially agreed to the photogs in the Brooklyn courtroom, then after conferring with his client, who was wearing a surgical mask, changed his tune.
“We object to the press coverage,” said the lawyer, Marshall Guiboa, to Judge Dale Fong Frederick. “It’s prejudicial, taking pictures and posting them online.”
Frederick nixed the request, telling Guiboa he missed his chance to object after the judge sent him and prosecutors the media request to have cameras in court.
After his routine appearance, Harper — who is out on $10,000 bail — hid in the courtroom for about 20 minutes to try to wait out the photographers outside.
His supporters, including Black Lives Matters leader Hawk Newsome and other members, then tried to shield Harper from reporters when he emerged — and berated a Post scribe with threatening insults and obscenities.
“It was ridiculous,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said of the request to bar press cameras.
“This individual posted on his social media how he was bragging about intimidating a police officer to leave the department,” Hendry fumed. “He’s all over social media. He’s trying to intimidate police officers.
“And this?! In here?! Saying that he doesn’t want pictures taken is ridiculous.”
Harper is charged over the protest Wednesday outside the Sunset Park home of an NYPD cop, who the mob claimed got too rough with demonstrators at an earlier rally in the Big Apple.
The officer, whose name is being withheld, was on duty outside the 73rd Precinct stationhouse during the rally, which was over a Sept. 15 friendly-fire police shooting that injured two bystanders.
Harper claimed on Instagram that the officer was “very aggressive” and “spit towards us,” prompting him and other protesters to show up outside the cop’s home chanting his name and obscenities.
Hendry, speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, said outing cops online poses a serious threat to the NYPD’s rank and file — and called for more protections for uniformed officers.
“They went to that home to terrorize a family and to threaten the police officer, to stop him from doing his job,” Hendry said. “It’s bad enough for police officers to have to deal with violent agitators on a daily basis out on the streets of the city of New York, but it’s not right. It’s impossible, when you’re home, to have groups threaten your family. To go after a police officer just because he was doing his job on the streets.
“This isn’t just a sole incident. This is happening all the time,” he said. “Our police officers are being targeted out in the streets. Their information, of where they live, is being disseminated all over social media. So we need stricter laws.”
New York State Assemblyman Mike Reilly, a Staten Island Republican, said he introduced legislation in Albany in 2021 to enact stiffer charges against anyone who tries to out cops “to cause harm.”
But the bill went nowhere.
“Once again I call on my colleagues in the state legislature, Gov. [Kathy] Hochul, please let’s move this legislation forward,” Reilly said. Not too long ago we did the same thing for judges. We made sure that we put into law protections for them. Our police officers need the same.”
Harper has long been a thorn in the side of the department and was sued by an Asian-American NYPD detective who claims he was berated with racist slurs by the troublemaker in 2021.
In court Tuesday, Harper was ordered to return Jan. 15 on the flaming-hat charges.