Two officers at the 114th Precinct were honored last week for helping to catch a perpetrator who robbed a check cashing company at knifepoint in Astoria.
Deputy Inspector Peter Fortune, the precinct’s commander, presented them with the Cop of the Month awards at a precinct council meeting in Astoria on Nov. 22.
On Oct. 16 at about 8:30 a.m., Officers Kenneth Travitt and Michael Sawicki responded to a robbery at Pay-O-Matic at 30-14 31st St. When officers Travitt and Sawicki got to the location, a female victim who had a knife pressed to her throat by the perpetrator gave the officers detailed information about the suspect.
The suspect demanded cash from an employee, who was stationed behind a glass partition in the store, while holding the knife to a customer’s neck. The employee complied and gave $3,000 in cash to the perpetrator, Fortune said.
Responding officers quickly radioed in a description of the perpetrator to other officers, who entered a nearby train station on 30th Avenue. They looked for the perpetrator on the platform and also communicated with the MTA to delay the departure of the N and W trains while they conducted the search.
Officers eventually found a man matching the detailed description they received from the victim. They were able to remove his knife and arrest him. The bag of money was found in a nearby trash can on the platform.
After an investigation, officers found that the perpetrator had recently been released from prison for the robbery and attempted murder of a livery driver. He has been arrested a total of 13 times.
“This arrest was the culmination of great teamwork by many different people,” Fortune said. “It began with the victim who was able to remain calm and provide an accurate description of the perpetrator. It continued with officers Travett and Sawicki who displayed great professionalism with a speedy response and communication by the relaying of accurate, precise information to those officers in the field. By all working together, a violent career criminal was taken off our streets, hopefully for a long time.”
