NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A Queens man was arraigned on Thursday for a long list of weapons charges one day after he was pulled over by 110th Precinct officers while driving a ghost car filled with a large cache of weapons, and the judge ordered him to be held without bail.
Judd Sanson, 27, of Hollis, is charged with 16 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of pistol or revolver ammunition, unlawful use of police uniform or emblem and a license plate violation.
Sanson’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea, pointing out that he has no criminal past and is supporting his one-year-old daughter while working as a mechanic. His attorney said that he lives with his father in Hollis and is not a flight risk, but Sanson was still held without bail.
At 1:25 a.m. on Wednesday, one sergeant and three police officers all in uniform were patrolling in an unmarked car near 86th Street and 23rd Avenue in East Elmhurst—blocks from LaGuardia Airport—when they observed a black Ford Explorer with an indiscernible license plate.
“You couldn’t even see the license plate the covering was so dark,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a press briefing Wednesday afternoon. The Queens District Attorney’s Office clarified that the motorist had a black film covering the plate.
An approaching officer observed a black handle protruding from a holster strapped to Sanson’s right pant leg, and when asked if he had a weapon, prosecutors said that Sanson removed an all-black knife and placed it near the center console.
From his vehicle, police recovered:
• One black Glock semiautomatic 9 mm pistol loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition
• Nine loaded magazines fitting the semiautomatic pistol, four of which were large capacity feeding devices
• 127 rounds of 9 mm ammunition
• 40 loose 9 mm rounds of ammunition
• One black baton with a silver-colored blade taped to the end
• One black weighted whip
• One set of silver-colored handcuffs
• One Sabre S-1009 stun gun
• One black machete
• Two black and silver-colored switch blade knives
• One black-colored knife
• One silver-colored hatchet
• One body armor vest with an NYPD patch
• One NYC Transit vest
Officers also recovered a black expandable baton with writing on it that read “Left Me No Choice,” “You Gon Learn Today” and an Arabic expression meaning “Ask In God For Forgiveness,” prosecutors said.
During Sanson's arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Dylan Nesturrick said that his arrest avoided disaster for Queens, New York City and the nation.
“He had, which I find extremely concerning, an NYPD bullet-proof vest and a transit reflective uniform, which as we know in the city of New York really gives you access to almost anywhere you want to go,” Nesturrick said.
The assistant district attorney went on to state that investigators will be looking through Sanson’s social media and online activity to determine a motive, building on the writings found on the baton.
“The words that he used on the baton show an intent to use, and that is part of our case,” Nesturrick said.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz thanked the NYPD for apprehending Sanson and said that the investigation is ongoing.
“We must protect our city. When a person is pulled over and possesses a loaded semi-automatic gun, more than 170 total rounds of ammunition, multiple weapons, body armor, an NYPD patch and an MTA vest, just a few blocks from the airport, we are very concerned,” Katz said.
Sanson faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, and is expected to return to court on June 17.
Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry joined Maddrey at Wednesday’s conference to give insight into the department’s efforts to remove illegal ghost cars and temporary tags from streets throughout the city.
“We are seeing an uptick in individuals that are committing shootings, robberies, burglaries, home invasions. Their method of transportation is a vehicle, sometimes stolen vehicles, and I would say about 80% of the times they have a license plate covered,” Daughtry said.
Police have confiscated 683 ghost cars year-to-date and 2,875 paper plates citywide.
Sanson's arrest occurred near the spot where two officers were shot and wounded on June 3 after pursuing a man driving an illegal moped in the early morning.