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In an unusual case, a reckless driving suspect allegedly bit a New York City police officer’s left ring finger so hard that the officer lost the finger up to the first knuckle, prosecutors said Wednesday. Lenni Rodríguez Cruz , 28, could be sentenced to 25 years in prison for leading police on a vehicle chase, crashing into several vehicles and biting a sergeant who was trying to put him in a holding cell, Queens District Attorney Melinda said. Katz.Rodríguez Cruz was indicted Wednesday on 15 charges.
NEW YORK — In an unusual case, a reckless driving suspect allegedly bit a New York City police officer’s left ring finger so hard that the officer lost the finger up to the first knuckle, prosecutors said Wednesday. .
Lenni Rodriguez Cruz, 28, could be sentenced to 25 years in prison for leading police last month on a vehicle chase, crashing into several vehicles and biting a sergeant who was trying to put him in a holding cell, the prosecutor said. from the borough of Queens, Melinda Katz.
The episode began shortly before midnight on September 20, when a police officer allegedly observed Rodríguez Cruz driving a blue 2009 Nissan Altima without wearing a seat belt at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Merrick Boulevard. When the officer, who was in full uniform and driving a marked police vehicle, allegedly discovered that the Nissan’s license plate was not registered on the vehicle, he turned on his lights and siren and attempted to get Rodríguez Cruz to stop.
Although the officer attempted to stop Rodriguez Cruz, he accelerated, mounted a sidewalk and drove through Rufus King Park, dispersing attendees as they ran to safety, Katz said.
Rodriguez Cruz continued driving and crashed into four vehicles, including an unmarked police car that was part of a barricade set up to stop him, Katz said. The driver of one of the crashed cars was treated at a hospital for several injuries, he said.
Supposedly, in total, Rodríguez Cruz would have run 20 red lights during the chase, according to the Queens prosecutor.
When officers finally pulled Rodriguez Cruz from his crashed car, his breath smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred and there was a glass containing an alcoholic beverage inside the car, Katz said.
Additionally, Rodríguez Cruz allegedly was unable to present a valid driver’s license, nor was there any evidence that he had one.
Officers took Rodriguez Cruz to the local police station, where he spit on the sergeant and bit off the tip of his finger, Katz said.
According to prosecutors, the sergeant required stitches and a revision amputation, leaving the officer without the use of his finger up to the first knuckle.
Rodríguez Cruz was arraigned Wednesday on 15 charges: two counts of first-degree assault; second degree assault; assault on a police or peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services professional; first-degree reckless endangerment; obstructing government administration in the second degree; unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree; two counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol; operating a motor vehicle under the influence of the combined use of drugs or alcohol and drugs; reckless driving; operate a motor vehicle without wearing a seat belt; operating or driving a motor vehicle with incorrect license plates; operate or drive a motor vehicle without a license; leaving the scene of an incident without reporting the incident.
“The law and the officials who enforce it will be respected,” Katz said in a statement. “[Rodríguez Cruz] is accused of recklessly putting countless lives at serious risk, injuring a motorist and causing serious and permanent injury to a police officer. “The dangerous lawlessness seen here simply will not be tolerated or excused.”
A phone call to his attorney was not immediately returned.
2023-10-12 19:03:49
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