NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- An off-duty NYPD officer was robbed last Friday in Upper Manhattan—and the attack may be linked to a similar robbery earlier this week in the Bronx that left another off-duty NYPD officer in critical condition with a fractured skull and brain bleed.
LISTEN TO 1010 WINS
Police released new video Thursday of the suspects wanted in last week’s robbery targeting the officer in Inwood. It shows them fleeing in a vehicle after that robbery and stealing a man's vehicle at gunpoint just blocks away.
The 26-year-old cop and two of his cousins, ages 32 and 35, were leaving El Jefe Sports Cantina on Dyckman Street around 2:15 a.m. when they were targeted by three men armed with guns.
The gunmen hopped out of a silver SUV, pistol-whipped the 32-year-old before stealing jewelry from one of the cousins and a cellphone and wallet from the cop, police said.
The trio then fled in the SUV. The victims refused medical attention at the scene.
Less than two hours later around 4 a.m., a 44-year-old man was standing by his SUV on W. 203rd Street, near 10th Avenue, in Inwood when the three men drove up in the silver SUV, whipped out guns and stole his car keys, cellphone and wallet. They then drove off in the victim’s SUV, a 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450. The victim was not injured.
The NYPD confirmed Thursday that detectives are investigating a possible link between the two Inwood robberies and a robbery crew that has been terrorizing the Bronx and Queens in recent weeks. They’ve been connected to at least 19 robberies so far, including the brutal beating of the 48-year-old officer in the Soundview section of the Bronx on Tuesday morning.
The officer was off-duty and out for a jog on Olmstead Avenue shortly before 11 a.m. when he was targeted by three men who pulled up in a Honda sedan.
The men beat him in the head repeatedly before stealing his wallet, phone and keys, police said. The trio then drove off.
The injured cop was found lying on the sidewalk and bleeding from his left ear. He was unable to stand or speak. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
The officer was initially in a medically inducted coma at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi with injuries that included a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
The officer, a veteran of the department who has worked at the Central Park Precinct for 18 years, was said to be out of the coma by Wednesday evening. His wife told PIX11 that he was breathing on his own and was able to talk and eat for the first time since the attack.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell pleaded Wednesday for the public's help with the case, tweeting, "We need all eyes on this." Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch said “not even a police officer can walk these streets safely” and that police will hold the “cowards” accountable.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Related
Related
Related
