New Castle Incident 11/26

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"Suicide by cop" attempt in Chappaqua

By JONATHAN BANDLER

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: November 27, 2006)

CHAPPAQUA - A 19-year-old man may have been attempting "suicide by cop" yesterday when he allegedly accosted a New Castle police officer at gunpoint as the officer was directing traffic at one of Chappaqua's main intersections, police said.

Andrew Martin walked up to Officer Larry Green at King Street and South Greeley Avenue just after 3 p.m., put a gun to the officer's and demanded his service weapon, Detective Sgt. Marc Simmons said. Green managed to disarm Martin and arrest him. The weapon turned out to be an air gun loaded with plastic pellets, Simmons said.

"Larry did a fantastic job. He showed a tremendous amount of restraint," Simmons said. "I saw the gun (Martin had) and it looks every bit like a real handgun."

Simmons said Martin made remarks - at the scene and later at police headquarters - indicating he wanted Green to shoot him. The incident occurred two days after an unarmed groom was killed and two of his friends injured when they were shot in a hail of 50 bullets fired by undercover officers after they left the victim's bachelor party at a Queens club. Police said it was unknown whether that shooting had any bearing on what Martin did yesterday afternoon.

Martin, of 360 Roaring Brook Road, Chappaqua, was charged with second-degree attempted robbery, a felony, and second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned in Town Court last night and ordered held without bail at the Westchester County jail.