Man Dead After Shootout, Stole Patrol Car, Chase 

Female Officer Downs Suspect With Four
Shots Ending Day Long Crime Spree

By Ed Betz

A man suspected in a violent crime spree was gunned down in a Smithtown
neighborhood  Tuesday night, December 10 after a confrontation with a 
Suffolk County Police sergeant and a high speed chase.

The dead man, Daniel Colay, 26, of Grant Avenue, Brentwood, alleged stole a
van from a person in Amityville, proceeded to rob a person in the Hauppauge
Industrial Park and at about 9 p.m. was pulled over on Old Willets Path near
Route 34 not far from the Fourth Precinct. After being pulled over, Mr. Colay
allegedly attacked the police sergeant and took his gun.

According to the police statement, at Old Willets Path during the original
encounter with Fourth Precinct Sergeant Robert Schmidt, an assisting police
officer, Michael Pirone, arrived at the scene and exchanged gun shots with 
Mr. Colay. Police sources have informed The Smithtown News that when Officer
Pirone arrived, Mr. Colay was allegedly standing over the unconscious 
sergeant pointing the gun at him. Mr. Colay then allegedly turned and unloaded
all 17 rounds of Sergeant Schmidt's service revolver at Pirone, but missed. 
Pirone returned fire and, according to sources, hit Mr. Colay in the leg, 
who then fled in Sergeant Schmidt's patrol car.

Officer Pirone remained at the scene to attend to the sergeant, who suffered 
a head injury, which is not life threatening. Sergeant Schmidt was flown by
helicopter to University Hospital in Stony Brook where he is recovering.

The pursuit followed Old Willets Path to Plymouth Boulevard for about four miles
while the stolen police car sideswiped several parked cars. The chase finally
ended when the patrol car slammed into a tree on the side of Plymouth Boulevard
just north of the entrance to Smithtown High School.

Several witnesses who heard the crash came out of their homes and were going
to the scene to help whom they believed to be a police officer in the crashed      vehicle. Suddenly, two police cars arrived at the scene of the crash. 
When Mr.Colay got out of the car, witnesses said that four shots were 
fired and he fell to the ground.

The man was shot four times by female Police Officer Barbara Cooke, 
who fired when Mr. Colay allegedly got out of the car and approached
 her,  witnesses said. "I saw her. She was in the prone position and  
unloaded the gun," said Chris Stuto, a Plymouth boulevard resident, 
during an interview at the scene. "Four shots put him right down."

"There were cops all over the place. They told us to get back in the house," 
added Randy Stuto, his father. "She had her gun out and boom, boom, boom boom."

According to one source, police believe that Mr. Colay beat an elderly 
woman at the hold up in Hauppauge, which reportedly occurred at 
about 6 p.m. After searching for several hours, the police sergeant spotted 
Mr. Colay near the intersection of Old Willets Path and Veterans Highway and 
pulled the van over. After stopping to question Mr. Colay, the struggle ensued.

At that time, Officer Cooke, who is assigned to the Central Islip area, was 
leaving the Fourth Precinct to go on routine patrol. She immediately engaged 
in pursuit of Mr. Colay, who was driving the sergeant's car. Although not yet 
confirmed, sources said that Mr. Colay may have been wounded before fleeing 
from the Old Willets Path scene.

After the crash, Mr. Colay exited the car and, according to Randy Stuto, 
ran in the direction of Officer Cooke. "I'm surprised that he walked out 
of that crash," Mr.Stuto said, while he looked over the sergeant's car.

While responding to the call for help by the sergeant at Old Willets path, 
a squad car carrying two police officers crashed into another car on Motor 
Parkway at Washington Avenue. The officers were pinned in the car and had 
to be cut out of the vehicle. Both were injured and had to be transported 
to the hospital. They were reported to be in stable condition.


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