Female Cop Attacked During Bronx Shop Takedown

A criminal with a long list of prior arrests attacked a female police officer with a bottle in the Bronx Monday while she was working with the New York City Sheriff’s office on a smoke shop takedown in the borough, sources said.

According to the NYPD, the brutal assault occurred at around 2 p.m. outside the shop, located in the vicinity of 231st Street and Broadway. Officer Silver, who was in uniform, was standing on the sidewalk next to another cop when she was approached from behind and struck in the back of the head with a bottle before the assailant started wildly throwing punches.

A fellow officer and a member of the Sheriff’s Office immediately grappled with the alleged suspect, 45-year-old Jose Garcia, before cuffing him and taking him into custody. The female officer was taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital in stable condition.

“While the Task Force was conducting smoke shop inspections NYPD Officer Silver was providing exterior security,” Sheriff Anthony Miranda told amNewYork Metro. “The officer was struck on the head in an ambush style attack. Members of the NYC Sheriff and NYPD immediately took the suspect into custody without further incident.”

Sources inside the Sheriff’s office indicated that they do not believe the attack was related to the investigation into illegal smoke shops.

Garcia reportedly has a rap sheet dating back to a Queens robbery in 1995 and a host of other arrests in the early 2000’s for fraud, possession of a weapon, and more. He has six prior arrests in total.

In this case, Garcia is charged with assault, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, harassment, and obstructing governmental administration.

“The NYC Sheriffs and the NYPD will continue to conduct joint citywide operations focusing on the safety and well being of NYC residents, as well as our NYPD and Task Force Partners,” Sheriff Miranda said.

The injured officer was a part of the Sheriff’s Joint Compliance Task Force, which includes the New York City Police Department, Department of Consumer Worker Protection, and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. The multi-agency unit began in November of last year and focus on seizing illegal products from smoke shops around the five boroughs.