Arrest made in brutal assault on off-duty NYPD officer
CASTLE HILL, The Bronx (WABC) -- An arrest was made Friday in a string of brutal robberies - including an assault on an off-duty NYPD officer that left him with a fractured skull.
Oshawn Logan, 18, from the Bronx is a known gang member who is charged with robbery and assault along with a host of other charges.
As he was walked out of the 43rd Precinct in handcuffs on Friday night, he claimed innocence.
"I didn't do nothing, stop talking to me," Logan said.
Logan is believed to be part of a much larger group responsible for at least 19 violent robberies that now include muggings in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. Detectives consider him to be one of the main suspects.
NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey told Bill Ritter on 'Up Close' that detectives believe there are more than just three or four people involved, and they may be taking turns.
Chief Corey says in many of these gangs there is an individual arrested and released and that person then guides the group.
"The credible messenger who goes back to the neighborhood and says 'hey, doesn't matter how many times they arrest me, nothing happens to me, come join me and they do these crimes with me,'" Chief Corey said.
They are not stealing much.
"Some credit cards, and they will go shopping, they will go on a little bit of a binge with the cards that they have. It's not a huge payoff. It also has no consequences. And assault doesn't add to the consequences," Chief Corey said.
The assailants who jumped Officer Muhammed Chowdhury, 48, stole his phone, car keys, and wallet.
Chowdhury meanwhile is recovering at Jacobi Medical Center where his loved ones say he's conscious, alert, and communicating.
EXCLUSIVE | Bronx apartment residents say they are being terrorized, beaten by teens who come to building
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