Police were still at the crime scene at 406 Kingsland Ave., where the chase ended when the suspect crashed into another vehicle before running off towards the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge, exchanging gunfire with an officer. Photo by Bill Parry
July 2, 2024 By Bill Parry
A manhunt is underway for a gunman who fired shots at a cop Saturday night after the suspect crashed his vehicle following a car chase through the streets of western Queens.
The suspect, who is known to frequent areas of Dutch Kills and Astoria, exchanged gunfire with a police officer after he crashed his vehicle into another car in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, before fleeing on foot. The gunman allegedly jumped a fence near the crash site and escaped beneath the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge that spans Newtown Creek. The officer was not injured.
The saga began when police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria made a routine traffic stop at 36th Avenue and 34th Street just after 8 p.m. when the suspect behind the wheel of a gray 2004 Acura TL with Connecticut plates fled the scene and raced southbound through Long Island City with police vehicles in pursuit.
The suspect drove more than two miles away and crossed over the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge and made a left-hand turn where he crashed into another vehicle in front of a warehouse at 406 Kingsland Ave. in Greenpoint, in the confines of the 94th Precinct. The suspect’s car burst into flames as he fled on foot, attempting to evade arrest.
Surveillance cameras captured the suspect as he fired a handgun at a uniformed officer who returned fire. The suspect was last seen jumping a fence and escaping beneath the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge.
No police officers were injured during the pursuit, and the NYPD Force Investigations is working to identify and capture the suspect, who should be considered armed and dangerous.
Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry posted surveillance images of the suspect on X that showed him inside a deli at 50-27 31st St. in Dutch Kills that he is known to frequent.
Photo courtesy of the NYPD
“New Yorkers, we need your help with catching another violent and extremely dangerous suspect,” Daughtry wrote. “Thankfully, the officer wasn’t struck, but this violent criminal must be stopped before he hurts or kills someone.”
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
“Helping to catch him will save further victims from this one-man crime spree,” Daughtry added. “Help us give him somewhere new to run—the treadmill on Rikers Island.”
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36 Ave & 34 St is Long Island City, not ASTORIA