Man charged in theft of Police Cruiser, Cruiser crashed into another car
By STEVE LIEBERMAN
A 38-year-old New York, Haverstraw village man was accused of stealing a police car parked outside headquarters and leading officers on a high-speed chase before being involved in a crash with another car in Clarkstown, officers said yesterday.
Clarkstown police said they subdued Luis Martinez on Sunday morning by shooting him with a nonlethal Taser stun gun.
"After the crash with another car, the suspect became combative at the scene with officers assisting the Haverstraw village police," Clarkstown police Lt. Steven Morgan said yesterday.
The car crash on Route 303 near Lake Ridge Plaza in Valley Cottage destroyed the $24,000 Haverstraw village police car, a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria, Haverstraw Police Chief John Reilly said.
A village police officer left the car engine running and went into headquarters to drop off a report at 7:17 a.m. Sunday, Reilly said.
He said the new village police cars don't have special devices that lock the doors while the engine is running.
"These cars didn't have the device because we were told it could cause a fire," Reilly said.
Martinez got in the car and sped away from the police station, Reilly said.
"He took off at a high rate of speed and didn't stop until he crashed with another car in Clarkstown," Reilly said.
Martinez was not injured in the crash, and the other driver had minor injuries, Reilly said.
Martinez, who lives on Ridge Street, was ordered held without bail in the county jail on several felony charges, police said.
He was arraigned by Clarkstown Town Justice Craig Johns in Nyack Hospital, where he was taken for observation after being subdued with the stun gun.
Haverstraw village police charged Martinez with third-degree grand larceny for the theft of the police car and second-degree attempted assault, both felonies, Reilly said.
The attempted-assault charge resulted from Martinez's cutting off a patrol officer's car and almost sending the vehicle crashing into High Tor Mountain on Route 9W, Reilly said.
Clarkstown police added felony charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and second-degree assault, and misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and resisting arrest.
Reilly said he hoped the village could quickly replace the police car for the small department.
"We have to go through the insurance department, and hopefully we can purchase a new one," Reilly said.