WATCH: Black Lesbian Says N.Y. Cop Choked Her, Then Charged Her with Assault

A Brooklyn woman says an off-duty police officer punched and choked her outside a police station, then lied about her attacking him in order to file assault charges against her, reports New York City news station WCBS-TV.

Stephanie Dorceant, 29, said she was walking by the 63rd Precinct stationhouse in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn with her girlfriend Nandi Allman around 2 a.m. Saturday, when a man quickly exiting the station bumped into her. When Dorceant, startled, called out, "Damn, dude, where you going?" the man -- now identifed as Officer Salvator Aquino -- allegedly yelled that she was "a fucking piece of shit dyke" who should "mind [her] business," according to an online statement from Allman.

Dorceant told WCBS that Aquino then punched her in the face several times and began choking her, still spouting anti-gay slurs.

"When he had his hands around my neck I truly thought I was going to die. I couldn't breathe," she added in a statement to the Huffington Post. "The only way I could get him to stop attacking me and my girlfriend was to bite him."

Dorceant said she had no way of knowing that Aquino was a police officer wearing plain clothes, as he didn't identify himself as a cop until they had begun struggling. So when officers came running toward the altercation, she presumed they were there to "save" her, rather than coming to Aquino's defense. But that's not what happened.

"Instead of helping me and my girlfriend and arresting our attacker, more officers piled on top of me, slamming me onto the pavement and putting their knees in my neck, shoulders, and back." she alleged.

Dorceant was arrested and charged with felony assault, menacing, resisting arrest, and harassment. Aquino was also handcuffed -- but not formally arrested -- and taken into the stationhouse. He has not been charged and continues to work as NYPD's internal affairs department investigates the incident "to determine if any disciplinary action is warranted," according to the Huffington Post.

Dorceant, meanwhile, learned at her arraingment why charges against her stood: Aquino had claimed that it was she who had punched him in the face and yelled a racial slur -- that he was a "white motherfucker," according to Allman's statement. Aquino also claimed he was concerned he "might have HIV" from being bitten by Dorceant (who is HIV-negative), she said.

Dorceant strongly denied Aquino's allegations at a press conference Thursday.

"I've never done anything like [assaulting someone]," Dorceant explained through tears. "So for someone to make me out to be a criminal? To be honest, this whole thing is a nightmare. I just hope that people see that."

After arraingment, Dorceant was held on Rikers Island for more than 24 hours before Allman could raise her $1,000 bail. Dorceant's friends are now fundraising to offset her $8,000 in legal fees.

The Brookly district attorney's civil rights bureau is now investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, notes the Huffington Post. Dorceant and Allman are also considering filing a civil lawsuit. Prosecutors have been ordered to convene a grand jury by January if they wish to indict Dorceant, but her attorneys expect her charges may be dropped.

Dorceant says she's now speaking out about the ordeal to let the world know that racist and homophobic police abuse is real.

"Even though I am well aware of the many stories about police brutality, especially against blacks, Hispanics, and the LGBT community, I never really thought that this could happen to me," she explained in her statement. "I want to share my story and say that police brutality is a real thing. Hate crimes are a real thing. Both of these things happened to me. Enough is enough."

Learn more in WCBS's report below.