3 arrests made after group vandalized NYPD vehicles at car meetup in Queens
OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- Officers have made three arrests after a group of people are accused of vandalizing NYPD vehicles over the weekend.
Police say the incident happened around 1 a.m. on Sunday after a number of cars were gathered in Ozone Park and driving recklessly.
After the officers arrived, the group allegedly circled their vehicles and began jumping on top of them, throwing objects at them, and breaking their windows.
Police say that after the moving gathering convened at multiple locations in Queens, some of the suspects ended up in the Bronx, where three were arrested just before 4 a.m.
"It's absolutely ludicrous. And when you're here watching it at 1:00 in the morning, it's scary because these kids can turn on you in a heartbeat," said Sam Esposito of Ozone Park Residents Block Association.
A 23-year-old from Massachusetts, an 18-year-old from New Hampshire and another 18-year-old from Queens are all facing multiple charges.
NYPD officials acknowledged they are reviewing cellphone video and body-worn camera footage from officers who were put in danger while responding to car meet-ups.
They are analyzing the officers' response and possible changes in deployments to those meet-ups.
"We saw hundreds and hundreds of kids in the street and a mass amount of cars going up and down, racing and then doing donuts," Esposito said.
Surveillance video shows hundreds of teens in the middle of the street, even setting off fireworks as part of the show.
"They had the radios were blasting in the cars. They were cheering and they were cheering each other to continue breaking the law and drag race up and down the street," Esposito said.
The crowd quickly scattered when police arrived just before 1 a.m. but not everyone left, and responding officers in two separate vehicles were attacked.
Esposito sent a letter to local, state and federal elected officials asking for help, saying, "We strongly urge the city to deploy a dedicated tactical response team to swiftly and effectively address these gatherings."
"There should be a tactical response team in every bar that handles, let's say, Friday through Sunday, so that when these meets happen, the tactical response team who is trained in this can show up and properly disperse, arrest and confiscate any calls that need to be confiscated along with the tow trucks they'll have available to them," Esposito said.
Police say more arrests are expected.
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