FLUSHING — A Flushing man will spend up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to beating a policeman in Jackson Heights with a baseball bat and stealing his weapon and handcuffs, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said this week.
Danny Fernandez, 23, was found guilty of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a two-week jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert McGann, Brown said.
The jury did not reach a verdict on three other felony charges against McGann, including aggravated assault upon a police officer, first-degree assault and first-degree robbery. He was facing a retrial when he pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree aggravated assault on a police officer and first-degree robbery.
The DA said Fernandez approached a police officer at the intersection of 39th Avenue and 102nd Street in Jackson Heights around 1:30 a.m. in February 2007 and struck him once from behind with a baseball bat, knocking him to the ground. Fernandez then struck the officer once more in the head before removing his gun and handcuffs and feeling on foot, the DA said.
The officer was transported to a local Queens hospital, where he was admitted in serious condition and treated for a fractured skull and concussion, the DA said.
