NYPD Cop in Critical Condition

[helicopper 1,050]

A State Senator is actually considering legislation banning people from crossing the street with an iPod - maybe they should impose tougher penalties on violent crimes like this one instead of feel-good legislation that is really absurd.

I am truly amazed at this brazen attack on a uniformed, on-duty police officer.

Officer attacked

Critically injured by bat blows to his head; assailant gets rookie cop’s gun before he’s captured, police say

 

BY LUIS PEREZ AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA

Newsday Staff Writers

February 6, 2007

A Queens man repeatedly bashed a police officer in the head with an aluminum baseball bat early yesterday, then ran away with the cop's gun and handcuffs because he wanted to pay a $16,000 debt by pulling off robberies, prosecutors said.

Danny Fernandez, 21, was arrested by another police officer who witnessed the 1:20 a.m. attack at 102nd Street and 39th Avenue in Corona, officials said.

The injured officer, Joseph Cho, 32, suffered a fractured skull and a concussion and was listed in critical but stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital Center, officials said. His parents arrived at the hospital but declined to comment.

Fernandez, of 78-18 162nd St. in Flushing, confessed to the crime, prosecutors said, and was arrested on charges of first-degree attempted murder, assault on a police officer, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. He faces 25 years to life in prison. He was arraigned late last night in Queens Criminal Court and was ordered held without bail. He did not enter a plea.

"The defendant is charged with having engaged in a vicious, brutal, premeditated attack on a uniformed New York City police officer for the apparent purpose of stealing his weapons so that he might use it to commit future armed robberies," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. "It is a miracle that the officer survived."

Cho, assigned to the department's Field Training Unit, had begun working as a cop just three weeks ago, officials said. He was on patrol as part of Operation Impact, a citywide program that floods high-crime areas with cops.

According to Brown, Fernandez first spotted Cho at 9:30 p.m., then followed him around until he was alone at 1 a.m.  Fernandez first struck Cho from behind, but continued striking him with the bat because he kept moving, Brown said.

From a distance, another uniformed officer, Patrick Lynch, 22, saw the attack, without realizing Cho was an officer, Brown said. When Lynch ran over, he saw Fernandez undoing the officer's belt, police sources said.

Lynch chased Fernandez, running north half a block before tackling and cuffing him, police said. Cho's gun and handcuffs were found in Fernandez' possession, they said. No shots were fired by officers, something Police Commissioner Ray Kelly later praised.  "The outstanding response by these young officers to this vicious attack on their fellow officer prevented the assailant from escaping and posing an even greater risk to the public," Kelly said in a statement.

On 39th Avenue, news of the attack upset residents and business owners, who said they appreciate the police presence.  Hernando Herrera, 54, said he came home just past midnight and saw a few young officers on Roosevelt Avenue, where bars stay open late.  "Every night they patrol here because there is a lot of riffraff," said Herrera, a Corona resident. "I don't know English and they don't know Spanish, but I'm glad they are here."

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

For attack, any officer would do

Beating suspect cites dislike of authority as well as $16G in debt in decision to assault rookie officer with bat

BY LUIS PEREZ

Newsday Staff Writer

February 8, 2007

Danny Fernandez says he has a problem with authority figures - and that's why he bashed a police officer in the head with an aluminum baseball bat, then stole his gun and handcuffs, he said in prison yesterday.

"I wasn't looking at the individual," Fernandez said in a visiting room at Rikers Island Jail in Queens. "I was looking at what they represented."

The Flushing man, 21, who didn't have a criminal record before he attacked rookie Police Officer Joseph Cho, 32, said, "I was just doing what everybody wishes they could do but is too scared to." Speaking calmly, Fernandez described a life of desperation set off by a spat with his mom over $16,000 in debt, depression and out-of-control anger against police.  Fernandez, charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, was arrested early Monday by a pair of rookie police officers, one of whom witnessed the attack, prosecutors said.

Cho is in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital Center with a fractured skull and concussion.

Wearing a gray prison smock and tan plastic sandals, his hair unkempt, Fernandez recalled how he wandered the frigid sidewalks of Corona with the aluminum bat stuffed inside his jacket, looking for a police officer.  Only once, when Cho was 10 feet away, did Fernandez reconsider his plan, he said.  "I clammed up," he said. "I thought, 'This is crazy. Most people won't do this.' But I went and did it anyway."  While Fernandez stopped short of providing details of the attack, prosecutors said he repeatedly struck Cho in the head with the bat before fleeing with the police officer's 9mm. service handgun.

His plan to attack a police officer, along with robbing banks and armored cars, was hatched in part from watching movies and reading newspaper accounts of criminal acts, Fernandez said. He said he had to pay off medical and credit card bills and loans.

"I wasn't going to do something small," he said. "I was going to go all the way."

Born in Queens, Fernandez described a detached relationship with his mother, who works in real estate, and father, a taxicab driver, who divorced several years ago.

His mother, who answered the phone at her Flushing home but didn't give her name, said her son is not a criminal.  "He made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes," the mother said. "He is a good little boy. He had a big depression."

A Navy dropout who left on a medical discharge, Fernandez said his ill will toward the police was spurred by a dozen traffic tickets he received in a month and his belief that police unjustly stop and frisk minority youths.

He said he was a sophomore at LaGuardia Community College, where he was studying education, but became disillusioned. He said he was still enrolled at the school.  In the end, Fernandez said he didn't resist arrest when approached by officers Pat Lynch and Christine Schmidt because he didn't want to be killed by  police.  "I didn't want to give them that," he said.  During the interview, Fernandez said he was worried about the impact his actions would have on his brother, Pedro, 15, and 17-year-old sister, whom he didn't name.

When prompted by questions about the officer's injuries, Fernandez apologized.

"I hope I didn't cause irreparable damage so he can get on with his life," Fernandez said.

Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, scoffed at Fernandez's apology.  "If this thug is truly sorry for attacking Police Officer Cho, then let him plead guilty to assaulting a police officer and take his punishment like a man," Lynch said.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Not a criminal, mom says. Of course, I suppose he was an altar boy and class president too! He's a psychopath and needs a LONG stay in prison!!! Unbelievable!

[Remember585 815]

I only have one thought.

KILL THE PRICK!

[Guest partyrock]

Come on, love is blind. Besides before that night he wasn't a criminal. Now that he has acknoweldged what he was about to do was wrong, that it was premeditated, and that he was fully intent on committing more crimes this piece needs to be locked away for good. NY needs to allow sentancing based on someones potential to return to a life of crime. When he gets out his hatred of authority and emmotional instability will only be worse and he will have little if any reason to even attempt living a normal life. This is the crap that life in prison is usppose to portect us from. The depraved indifference towards life the he posses will allow him to kill someone for little if any reason. Thanks for indulging my rant.

[DOC22 1]

I only have one thought.

KILL THE PRICK!

←

My sentiments, EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

Death penalty. Nuff said.

[Guest DFFD227]

thats why these cops need to be paid more because they deal with pure SH!T!

[RescueKujo 130]

Of course mommy states he is a good boy, because she raised him. Give me a break. In today's world, with a lot of teens and young adults believing that it is their right to act as they see fit, and that they should not be severely punished for whatever crime they commit, I'm surprised this kind of thing doesn't happen more often. These people need to have the book thrown at them, and get the maximum sentence.

Edited February 10, 2007 by RescueKujo

[Bababoosky 24]

I only have one thought.

KILL THE PRICK!

←

They already sentenced one cop killer to death this year. Don't stop now, we're just getting warmed up!

[IzzyEng4 427]

Friggin A$$

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Fry the sonuvab*tch.

[Guest Cota1992]

Wow.

Nothing about the officer except how long he was on the job and his name and age but we know the animal who did it's dad was a cab driver and he was a good boy until he clubbed a police officer in the head and stole his gun after thinking about doing it all night.

Your going to hit somebody in the head to get a gun to rob banks to clear up your medical and credit card debts...okay.

People amaze me.

Prayers for the officer and his family

Art in DC

Edited February 10, 2007 by Cota1992

[RWC130 594]

I only have one thought.

KILL THE PRICK!

WELL SAID!!!

[biglew 3]

The guy should be put away for life, great job by the cops who caught him. I don't like a single officer on patrol, 3 weeks on the job, 1 A.M. where is his FTO,in a high crime impact area.

Since the punk didnt want to get killed by cops, he gave up. Maybe a partner with this guy would have made him think different and not take a whack at the cop. Who knows?

[helicopper 1,050]

The guy should be put away for life, great job by the cops who caught him. I don't like a single officer on patrol, 3 weeks on the job, 1 A.M. where is his FTO,in a high crime impact area.

Since the punk didnt want to get killed by cops, he gave up. Maybe a partner with this guy would have made him think different and not take a whack at the cop. Who knows?

←

From what I've been able to learn about this incident, he was part of a group of officers patrolling a neighborhood and was less than a block away from two other cops when the attack occurred. The perp stated he watched and waited until there was an officer by himself to launch his attack.

It's only because the other cops were so close that the attack was interrupted and the piece of human garbage was apprehended.

[Guest Cota1992]

Any update on the officer?

Thanks

Art

[JetPhoto 626]

I only have one thought.

KILL THE PRICK!

←

I agree!!!

Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, scoffed at Fernandez's apology.  "If this thug is truly sorry for attacking Police Officer Cho, then let him plead guilty to assaulting a police officer and take his punishment like a man," Lynch said.

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And New York will not sentence anyone to death for what reason??????

[helicopper 1,050]

I agree!!!

And New York will not sentence anyone to death for what reason??????

←

New York only has a death penalty for capital murders, that is 1st degree murder - intentional murder of a police officer, correction officer, witness, etc. or a murder committed during a few select violent felonies (robbery, burglary, for example).

No death penalty at all for "attempted" crimes or anything else.

Right now I think the death penalty statute is still being re-written because the Court of Appeals found that jury instructions were improper making the statute unconstitutional. Gotta love that!

So in this case, this "first offender" will probably get little more than a slap on the wrist. A real deterrent to his doing the same thing again!

[Guest Firediver]

I swing a mean bat myself!! Put that lil pricks head on a tee and lets see!! I quite sure it will hurt more than that officers head does. On a lighter note Get well soon brother in blue.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Where's all the libs now? Where is anti-anything Charles Barron speaking the praises for the 2 officers whom assisted their brother by stopping the assailant with non-lethal force? That perp is pretty lucky the last thing he heard was "do you understand your rights as they have been just read to you" instead of what he should have heard....POP POP.