Bay Ridge cops and good Samaritan honored for arrest of stabbing suspect

Three police officers and one civilian were in the spotlight,Tuesday, as State Senator Marty Golden singled them out for theirefforts that led to the arrest of a suspect in two stabbings late last month.

The suspect was picked up at Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street, afterallegedly stabbing one man on 86th Street and another in the 86thStreet R train station shortly after 6 p.m. on September 21, afterhe demanded money and they refused to comply.

Area resident Larry Vento saw the first stabbing, and followed thesuspect along to the station, watching when he emerged from thesubway just a short time after he entered, having allegedly slashedanother victim across his back. The suspect took off running towardthe higher numbered streets.

When Vento saw police officers descend into the station, hesurmised that they were headed toward the 95th Street station andran there, where he was able to identify the suspect for thepursuing cops – P.O. Yaser Shohatee and P.O. Jeannette Figueroa ofthe 68th Precinct, and P.O. Raymond Sinnott, of the World TradeCenter Command, who was off-duty at the time – who made thearrest.

Also involved were members of the FDNY’s Engine 242 company,leading Golden to praise the pursuit and arrest as a communityeffort, with people, coming together to keep this one of thesafest precincts in the city.

In fact, crime in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton ison the decline (down 6.4 percent year to date,as of September 25), bucking a citywide trend in which crime hasleveled off or increased (up 0.25 percent year to date, as ofSeptember 25).

For this crime, which took place on one of the neighborhood’sbusiest thoroughfares while it was crowded with shoppers andcommuters, Golden said he commend[ed] the response of the 68thPrecinct which began an intensive search of the area for thesuspect. They got a dangerous individual off the street before hecould do any more harm.

To all those involved in this extraordinary takedown, I say thankyou not only from the state senate but from the people who live inBay Ridge, Golden added.

The cops’ response reflects the commitment, devotion and passionthat the officers have for the safety of the community, addedCaptain Richard DiBlasio, the precinct commander. It’s the men andwomen of the 68 who make the precinct so incredible.

Vento, clearly modest, agreed. I’m not the star here, Ventoremarked. The heroes are the cops. I just happened to be there andI wanted to make sure they caught him.