Two days after a family was held hostage during a home invasion in Douglaston, city officials gathered outside local Council Member Vickie Paldino’s office on Monday afternoon to applaud the NYPD’s efficient response.
Officials from the NYPD shared details about how the operation, which was compared to something off a “Hollywood set” unfolded. They also specifically praised the utilization of their newer drone technology in being able to take three suspects into police custody.
“Let this also serve as an object lesson to the critics on the investments in the NYPD technology,” said Paladino in praising the response of officers from the 111th precinct. “This weekend, it made all the difference, and three violent criminals are now off the street as a direct result of this technology.”
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry responded to the scene himself once he heard that a family was present during the home invasion.
He said the 911 call came in at 2:26 a.m. from a woman in Douglaston. Initially the dispatcher could not determine the issue, and flagged it as an “unknown condition” to responding officers.
But based on “a hunch” that the officers had, they utilized the callback feature on their smartphone to contact the caller directly. Through her whispering, they were able to make out the word “gun” and rushed to the scene with lights and sirens blaring.
Upon their arrival, they witnessed the female caller running down the street carrying her one-year-old baby.
“They secured them in their car, tactically approached the house with their weapons drawn, and as they looked inside this house, they see the rest of the family with their hands held above their head,” relayed Daughtry.
The officers immediately called for backup and secured a perimeter around the house. Due to low visibility at the time, air support was down and helicopters could not be deployed.
“We deployed our drones up to act as a second layer of eyes,” said Daughtry, adding that the emergency service unit engaged with the suspects over the public announcement system.
Top officials from the NYPD, including the police commissioner, watched the operation unfold virtually through the eyes of the drone on their own devices. Footage shared on social media presented a glimpse of the manhunt that unfolded.
The three suspects from Cambria Heights, with extensive criminal records, attempted to flee the scene but were taken into custody not long after police arrived. Over the weekend, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office introduced a 24 count complaint against each defendant.
“They were panicking. They didn’t know what to do. And I guess they took it amongst themselves to all jump out the same window and run it in different directions,” said Daughtry. “It was very chaotic.”
He added that simultaneously, members of the family were also running out of the house as officers were trying to grab the suspects.
Eight people were held hostage, including three children, during the robbery. Two hostages had to be taken to a local hospital for treatment after one was punched in the face and another was hit with a hammer.
“I felt like I was on a Hollywood set watching this whole police operation take place,” said Daughtry, not disputing one reporter’s comparison of the incident to the long-running TV program COPS.
Three officers from the 111th precinct were recognized for their efforts, and were presented with certificates from the council member’s office.
The suspects currently face up to 25 years in jail, if convicted. The NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell added that the DA’s charges on the three “career criminals” are still not finished. They are scheduled to return to court later this week.
Chell also reinforced that they do not believe it was a random act of violence. They believe that the family was targeted because one member owns a fruit and vegetable distribution store that relies on cash transactions. They suspect that the owner was followed when leaving his workplace.
“This was isolated. It was targeted. It could have been Douglaston. It could have been Staten Island,” said Chell. “So I want the community to feel a little at ease.”
The NYPD officials said that they are looking to identify five more precincts in the city to implement drones. Precincts that have seen an uptick in crime will be prioritized.
The deputy commissioner said that the last time he recalled a hostage situation unfolding was at a cash checking spot in Brooklyn. At the time, drones were also utilized to zoom into the storefront where a suspect was pointing a BB gun at two hostages.
