Police: Suspect Tries To Make A Break For It In Freeport Police Car, Wrecks It
FREEPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- One man's desperate bid to escape police custody ended with a wrecked police SUV and several other vehicles damaged, police said.
As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, startled Babylon residents found their parked cars wrecked, after they were rammed by a stolen Freeport police SUV.
"We heard a big bang, and it was really crazy," Elle Ried said.
The incident started Thursday night at 10:07 p.m. in Freeport.
That's when Andrew Howard of Brooklyn was pulled over by Freeport Police, who determined that he was wanted on two outstanding warrants, Nassau County Police said.
An automatic license plate reader in Freeport picked up the plate of Howard's 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan, sources said.
Howard was put in the back of the police SUV with his hands cuffed behind his back. Police then questioned two women that were with Howard.
While the officers were speaking with the women, identified as Dawnfornee and Yasmeen Ellison, Howard managed to get his handcuffed hands from behind his back to in front of him, police said.
He then wriggled through an opening in the thick plastic sheet cage into the front seat of the police SUV, police said.
"Unfortunately this is a very nimble and very agile individual who was able to take his hands from behind his back, place them down low, and was able to get his knees and feet behind the handcuffs, which now his hands are placed in front of," Lt. Richard Lebron said. "It was a sliding [clear plastic] partition and nobody ever thought that an individual could squeeze through an 11.5X12.25 square hole."
Police had left the SUV running while questioning the passengers, a factor that is now under investigation
Howard drove off, nearly hitting the detectives, sources told CBS2.
Howard drove from Freeport into neighboring Merrick, crashing into several parked cars along the way, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported.
The suspect drove it for roughly two miles before crashing. He was arrested, and later transported to an area hospital for an unrelated medical condition, police said.
"It reminds me of Grand Theft Auto 3," one neighbor told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria. "Like, you think you're actually going to get away with it? That's the worst part -- like he thought was going to get away with stealing a car?"
Car owners are now left paying for extensive damage.
"I just got it for my brother, a station car, no collision," one resident said.
Freeport police credited their new license plate readers with stopping a career criminal with a violent record, but had no comment on whether officers followed protocol.
Freeport cops wear body cameras and have mounted dashcams. Authorities are reviewing tapes for lessons learned.
Dawnfornee Ellison and Yasmeen Ellison were also arrested after a gravity knife was discovered in the vehicle, police said. They face weapons possession charges.
Howard was hospitalized, but faces charges of grand larceny, robbery, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, escape, resisting arrest and more.