12 The Courier SUN • MARCH 10, 2016 FOR Breaking news visit www.qns.com police beat COMPILED BY ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA, COURTNEY OBENG AND ALINA SURIEL Wet Basement? Call artie Basement Water Proofing Specialist Serving Queens for 35 Years For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 Licensed #08097 and Insured NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE AMERICA ADOPT A PET AnimalLeague.org • 516.883.7575 • Port Washington, NY Photo by Ellen Dunn North Shore Animal League America Has Over 300 Unique Mixed breed & Purebred, Puppies, Kittens, Dogs and Cats! Open Daily for Adoptions SUN - THURS 10AM - 9PM FRI - SAT 10AM - 10PM FOLLOW US ON 25 Davis Ave Adoptions 102nd Precinct Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven Suspect wanted in Woodhaven sandwich shop shooting Police released video on Feb. 29 of a man wanted for a recent shooting inside a late night sandwich spot in Woodhaven that injured two patrons. Cops said the suspect burst into Rico Chimi on Atlantic Avenue to shoot a 40-year-old male inside the establishment at 12:25 a.m. on Feb. 20. A 32-year-old female was also hit in the spray of bullets. The man was still armed when he quickly fled the establishment into a “newer model,” red, four-door sedan according to police. Authorities say both victims were transported via EMS to Jamaica Hospital after the incident. The male victim had gunshot wounds to his leg and hip and was admitted in stable condition and the female victim suffered gunshot wounds to her buttocks and leg. She was treated and released. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male with a light complexion standing at approximately 5 foot 7 inches tall and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red mask, a black hooded jacket, black pants and black shoes. 103rd Precinct Jamaica Jamaica man gets 55 years for trying to kill a cop The Jamaica man who shot an NYPD sergeant twice in 2012 in Queens has been sentenced to 55 years to life behind bars, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced on March 2. John F. Thomas, 28, whose last known address was on 109th Avenue in Jamaica, was convicted in June 2015 of first-degree attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated assault on a police officer, assault on a police officer, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault for the 2012 shooting of NYPD Sergeant Craig Bier. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory L. Lasak sentenced Thomas on Wednesday to an indeterminate term of 55 years to life in prison. “This was a senseless, violent act and once again illustrates how dangerous police work is,” Brown said. “The defendant has shown that he has no regard for authority and is a menace to society. Wednesday’s sentence – the maximum allowed by law – is more than justified.” According to trial testimony, on Aug. 8, 2012, Bier, 44, was on patrol as part of an anti-gang unit when he approached Thomas at the intersection of 107th Avenue and Union Hall Street at approximately 10:30 p.m. Bier had his NYPD shield displayed and identified himself as a police officer. Thomas proceeded to flee the location, and Bier pursued. Thomas, being trapped by a fence, pulled out a firearm and shot Bier twice — once in each leg. 113th Precinct Cambria Heights, Queens Village, South Jamaica Driver took bullet to his head in St. Albans A St. Albans man was found fatally shot while sitting inside a car parked on a neighborhood street on the night of Sunday, March 6, authorities said. Christopher Dawson, 24, was discovered with a bullet to his head inside a vehicle parked on Mangin Avenue between Hannibal and Mayville streets at 7:24 p.m. Officers from the 113th Precinct responded to a 911 call about the shooting. EMS transported Dawson to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:59 p.m. The case was ruled a homicide, but police did not disclose a possible motive. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. SPIKE IN SLASHINGS PROMPTS NYPD TO BOOST SUBWAY PATROLS Commuters on late night and early morning trains should expect to see more NYPD officers riding along with them as a response to the recent spate of slashings, officials said on March 2. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that the Police Department has started to increase subway patrols on and off the subway and that cops will also be equipped with radios that work below ground. “You are going to see more police presence,” de Blasio said in a press conference. “You are going to see a more vigorous response.” “We’ve had this spate of slashings and we have to take it very seriously.” The announcement is partly in response to concerns from commuters about an uptick in slashings and stabbings that have been recently plaguing the MTA system. According to Chief Joseph Fox of the NYPD Transit Bureau, there has only been a slight increase in subway crime. In January 2015, there were a reported 4.8 crimes a day compared to the 6.7 in January this year. Officers will be stationed in trains, platforms, turnstiles and entrances and plainclothes officers will ride trains and perform platform inspections. A total of 60 police officers will patrol the Times Square station and canine units will also join patrols. Bratton added that major felonies in the subway have significantly decreased since the 1990s even though ridership has swelled – major felonies in the subway system hit 2,502 in 2015 compared to 17,497 in 1990. Officials also announced that for the first time, officers will be able to communicate underground. Previously, cops who patrolled the subways could not communicate with cops stationed above ground. The new program, which started as a pilot program in the Bronx, will reprogram radios so street-level officers can switch to a different frequency to communicate with transit cops. The program will cost $100 million in MTA funding to build the additional infrastructure. Transit precincts in Manhattan have received this update while transit precincts in Brooklyn and Queens will receive the update in April and May, respectively.
SC03102016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above