Detectives are questioning a 44-year-old man who threw a caustic chemical in the face of a Brooklyn police officer during a traffic stop Saturday morning — then hurled a Molotov cocktail at other officers who attempted to stop him.
Charges are currently pending against the perpetrator involved in the assault. The officer who was hit with the chemical is currently being treated for blurred vision and minor facial injuries.
Police said the trouble began at about 7:56 a.m. on April 17 in the area of Clarendon Road and East 45th Street in East Flatbush, where officers from the 67th Precinct spotted the suspect making a traffic infraction while behind the wheel of a gray 2000 Lincoln Town Car.
According to law enforcement sources, the injured officer got out of his patrol car and approached the driver’s side of the Town Car. That’s when the suspect threw the unknown chemical, contained within a cup, at the officer.
The suspect then hit the accelerator and fled from the scene, authorities said. The officers were able to radio in a description of the culprit and request additional assistance.
Moments later, in the area of Snyder Avenue and East 56th Street, two additional officers spotted the suspect and vehicle in question and moved to stop it. As they did so, police said, the perpetrator stopped the sedan, got out of the car and then hurled a Molotov cocktail at the officers’ cruiser.
The improvised explosive device bounced off the police car’s windshield to the pavement, law enforcement sources said. Neither officer was injured.
Following the failed Molotov cocktail attack, the suspect got back into the Town Car and sped away — but his run from law ended moments later when he crashed into a parked SUV less than a block away, on Snyder Avenue.
Additional police cruisers boxed the Town Car in, and officers took the suspect into custody without further incident, authorities said.
According to the NYPD, additional Molotov cocktails were found inside the attacker’s vehicle.
Police have withheld the perpetrator’s identity, pending the ongoing investigation.
When cops in Brooklyn stopped a car this AM for running a red light, the driver threw a chemical at our officer before speeding off. Stopped again, the driver threw a lit Molotov cocktail at cops & fled before crashing. The man was arrested & more Molotov cocktails were recovered pic.twitter.com/gQPrADEKJI
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 17, 2021
