Fired At Cops In Wild Pursuit
A Jamaica man has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for his part in a one-hour morning crime spree in February 2010 in which and a co-defendant who is awaiting sentencing shot at a marked police vehicle attempting to stop them after they stole a car, burglarized a house and robbed a woman on the street at gunpoint.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Urban Fermin, 33, of Liberty Avenue, who was convicted earlier this month of first- and second-degree attempted murder, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree attempted assault, attempted aggravated assault on a police officer, first-degree burglary, first- and second- degree robbery, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-and fifthdegree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle and third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle following a five-week jury trial before Queens County Supreme Court Justice Kenneth C. Holder.
Holder sentenced Fermin last Monday, Mar. 18, to 30 years to life in prison. His co-defendant, Darius Lowery, 25, of 115th Avenue in Jamaica, who was convicted of the same charges, is scheduled to be sentenced today, Thursday, Mar. 28.
The jury convicted Fermin of the charges on Mar. 4 and Lowery on Mar. 6.
“[Fermin’s] brazen crime spree came to a halt thanks to the efforts of police officers who once again put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public,” Brown said in a statement issued last Monday. “The lengthy sentence imposed today is more than justified to punish this defendant and to protect society.”
According to trial testimony, at 7:35 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2010, a 55-yearold St. Albans man left his white 2000 Ford Focus warming up outside his residence. When he returned five minutes later, the vehicle was gone.
At 8:10 that same morning, a 72- year-old South Ozone Park woman opened the front door of her residence and was confronted by two males wearing masks and dark clothing. The men stated, “This is a robbery, move in!”
Once inside the residence, the men-one of whom displayed a black pistol and the other a revolver- ordered the woman’s 40- year-old daughter to get on the floor before eventually having the two women sit on the sofa.
One of the men then stayed with the women while the other ransacked the residence-taking the batteries from the telephone and removing cash, a digital camera, assorted jewelry, a Nintendo Wii gaming console and a Westinghouse flat screen television- before fleeing in a white vehicle.
Thereafter, a 35-year-old South Ozone Park woman was walking along 128th Street at approximately 8:27 a.m. when a white vehicle drove past her. She then heard a vehicle come to a stop behind her, a person exit the vehicle and someone running toward her. When she turned, she saw a male wearing dark clothing running toward her.
The man displayed a black pistol and demanded her pocketbook. He then ripped the pocketbook from her and began to return to the white vehicle before stopping and again confronting the victim, this time stating, “No, give me everything.” He then began rummaging through her pockets, taking her pocketbook, credit card, driver’s license, cellular telephone and a sum of cash before returning to the white vehicle and entering the front passenger seat.
A second man-later identified as Fermin-was seated in the vehicle’s driver seat.
Police Officers Shawn Phillips and Steven Betts observed the defendants seated in the Ford Focus at the intersection of 130th Street and Foch Boulevard approximately twenty seconds after the street robbery occurred. When the officers attempted to stop the defendants they were taken on a high speed chase through three different precincts, at times traveling the wrong way on one way streets, until they arrived on Sutphin Boulevard heading southbound.
On Sutphin Boulevard, Lowery hung his upper body out of the passenger side window, pointed a black pistol at the officers, and fired at least eight rounds.
Ultimately the defendants ended up jumping out of the still moving Ford Focus on 153rd street between 118th and 119th avenue. Lowery was observed reaching for his waistband and the two officers opened fire. However, neither defendant was hit. The Focus continued to roll unmanned to the end of the block where it crashed. The proceeds of the burglary and robbery were found inside the vehicle.
Fermin was apprehended near the scene of the car crash while Lowery was apprehended approximately 12 hours later at his home.
The investigation was conducted by detectives assigned to the 106th Precinct’s Detective Squad.
Assistant District Attorneys Francis J. Longobardi and Andres A. Munoz of the District Attorney’s Kew Gardens I Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Francesco Catarisano, bureau chief, and Robin D. Leopold and Raymond E. Scheer, deputy bureau chiefs, and the overall supervision of Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Trials James C. Quinn and Executive Assistant District Attorneys for Trials Robert J. Masters.
