CRISTABELLE TUMOLA AND ANGY ALTAMIRANO
Updated Saturday, August 24
Updated Friday, August 23
A police officer on patrol in Astoria Thursday night was injured when a vehicle suspected in a robbery struck him as it tried to speed away.
He was hit at approximately 8:50 p.m. as the officer and another cop tried to pull over a pickup truck near Crescent Street and Broadway, according to authorities. Shots were fired as the suspect tried to leave the scene, striking the officer with his vehicle.
Cops said the driver then ditched his truck around 37th Avenue and 24th Street and fled on foot.
Both officers were taken to Cornell Medical Center with non-threatening life injuries where they were later treated and released.
According to the NYPD, before hitting the officer with the vehicle, the suspect allegedly approached a 49-year-old woman around 79th Street in Astoria at approximately 4:18 p.m. and forcibly removed her pocketbook. The victim sustained minor injuries after she chased the suspect back to his truck and was dragged by the vehicle as it fled.
It was later determined that the vehicle used in the robbery was reported stolen in West Palm Beach, Fla, on Tuesday and that a .38 caliber revolver was inside the truck when it was taken.
Police have released a photo of the suspect, identified as 61-year-old Gary Sarback, of Lake Worth, Fla.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
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