NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A police chase that began Friday night in Queens and ended in Massapequa Park resulted in Nassau County officers fatally shooting the driver, according to Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder. Seven officers and one civilian were hospitalized during the course of the chase.
Ryder said in a press conference on Saturday morning that the suspect first fled a traffic stop by the NYPD somewhere in the 113th Precinct, which encapsulates southeastern Queens, at about 11 p.m. on Friday.
He struck two NYPD officers before fleeing the scene, and Ryder said that the city police department put a notification over the air that the driver was heading toward Long Island. It was not immediately clear what prompted the original traffic stop in Queens.
Nassau County officers engaged with the vehicle somewhere in the area of Merrick and Sunrise Highway, and the driver rammed a police officer and tried to run down two other cops, Ryder said. The suspect again fled, weaving on and off Sunrise Highway, and striking a civilian car through the process.
The police commissioner said that the suspect finally lost control of his vehicle near the highway and Hicksville Road, where officers attempted to apprehend the man.
“Officers got out of the car to take control and arrest the individual. That individual did not comply,” Ryder said. “There was a shooting that occurred, and that individual died, and the three officers along with that individual were transported to a local area hospital.”
A total of five Nassau County Police officers, two NYPD officers and one civilian were hospitalized with minor injuries sustained during the course of the chase, the police commissioner said.
The attorney general was notified of the death immediately, Ryder said, and he committed to cooperating fully with the investigation. Due to the ongoing investigation, he said that the department could not go into further detail.
“There's this video that gets pulled from numerous locations all along Sunrise Highway, all from New York City, and then of course, at that location, our body cameras,” the police commissioner said. “Everything is getting compiled right now. I don't wanna say something that doesn't match what the camera says. I will let the video speak for itself at that point when that is going to be released.”
The family of the deceased has not been notified, and release of his identity is pending.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved in today’s incident, including the officers injured while protecting our communities," Nassau County PBA President Tommy Shevlin said in a statement. "The Nassau County PBA remains committed to supporting our officers as they put their lives on the line every day."