By Matthew Monks
Officer Elaine Mamolite, a 26-year-old on the force less than a year, and her partner, Sgt. Dorian Burrell, 36, were hospitalized with serious injuries on March 17 after their cruiser collided with a city bus at the intersection of Fresh Pond Road and 71st Avenue, police said.
The officers were headed south on Fresh Pond Road to the aid of another officer at 9:05 p.m. when their car was struck by a station wagon and sent crashing into a parked city bus, police said.
They were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, where they were still being treated Tuesday, police said.
Mamolite, who joined the force last summer, suffered brain injuries, internal bleeding, a broken pelvis and was comatose as of Tuesday, according to Daily News and New York Post reports.
Burrell, a married mother of two and seven-year veteran on the force, was not as severely injured with brain injuries and numerous broken bones. Her vital signs were stable as of Tuesday, The Post reported.
The station wagon driver, Shelly Patino of Rego Park, was treated for minor injuries and released from Elmhurst Hospital Center. No charges or summonses have been filed against her as of Tuesday, police said.
The bus driver, who was not identified, was treated for neck and back injuries and released from Elmhurst, police said.
The events leading up to the crash began about 9 p.m. on the corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and Palmetto Street, when officers reported seeing a man conceal a black handgun inside his waistband, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
The man, identified as Miguel Rodriguez, 19, of Queens, fled from police, the complaint states. This prompted the pursuing officers to put out the call to which Burrell and Mamolite responded, according to The Post.
After a two-block chase, police said Rodriquez entered a bodega at 54-31 Myrtle Ave. and hid inside a storage room bathroom, the complaint says. Police ordered Rodriquez to leave the bathroom, the complaint continues, and when he did they said he resisted arrest, pulling his arms away to prevent being handcuffed.
Rodriguez was charged with resisting arrest, trespassing and third-degree criminal trespassing, the complaint states.
No gun was found on him and he was released on $2,500 bail, The Post reported.
Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
