Investigation underway after man killed during NYPD attempt to stop suspected stolen car
EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A 28-year-old suspect was fatally shot after nearly striking an NYPD lieutenant, who was part of a roadblock attempting to stop the driver speeding on the Belt Parkway.
It all unfolded Tuesday night when the NYPD Community Response Team was searching for stolen cars.
Officers first spotted the Porsche, believed to be stolen in Pennsylvania with license plates that did not match, near Cropsey Avenue in Canarsie.
Police tried to pull the driver over but the driver refused and drove off eastbound on the Belt Parkway.
Following the new protocol on police pursuits, the officers did not pursue him.
"We didn't pursue the vehicle, we strategically radioed ahead to shut down traffic to see if we could intercept this car, which we now know was stolen," said NYPD Chief of Department John Chell.
That strategy is a result of the policy put in place earlier this year by the NYPD to limit police vehicle pursuits to only serious and violent crimes in an attempt to avoid crashes, property damage or injury and death.
Instead, they transmitted the vehicle description to fellow officers, allowing those in an adjoining precinct to set up a roadblock near Exit 13.
The suspect swerved to avoid the roadblock and sped toward officers, either clipping or almost clipping a lieutenant, police say.
Investigators say officers fired shots, but the driver kept going for one more mile until ultimately crashing the Porsche into an NYPD vehicle.
The suspect was taken to the hospital where he later died. He was on federal probation for trafficking stolen cars from Pennsylvania to New York.
Several officers were taken to hospitals to be checked out but no one was seriously hurt.
At least one passenger in the stolen vehicle was taken into police custody following the shooting. Charges have not been filed against that person.
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