Prayers were being whispered across Bensonhurst this week for the speedy recovery of Police Officer Carlos Olmedo, a four-year-veteran of the NYPD who was clinging to life following a crazed run in with a crew of car thieves.
As we went to press, area residents and members of the 62nd Precinct Community Council were expected to hold a vigil Tuesday evening for Olmedo, a father of three, who suffered a substantial brain injuries when he was struck by a passing motorcycle during a police chase past the corner of 84th Street and 20th Avenue on May 16.
Police said that Olmedo and his partner, Police Officer Marlon Key, were investigating a report of a stolen car when they saw the three suspects at 1 am.
The cops pulled the suspects over, but the thieves abandoned the vehicle and ran off.
Olmedo was chasing one of these men when he was struck by a passing motorcycle.
Responding paramedics rushed Olmedo to Lutheran Medical Center. By late Tuesday, he was in still in critical condition, suffering from a swelling to the brain.
“The situation has not changed, he’s still in extremely critical condition,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters. “The next 24 to 48 hours will be important.”
The operator of the motorcycle, who suffered a broken knee and some internal injuries in the crash, was not arrested. Cops did manage to arrest and charge the three alleged car thieves, identified as Mario Koruni, Tiku Qoko and Safer Mojo. All three 18-year-olds lived just blocks from where they were arrested. Cops charged all three with criminal possession of stolen property and for causing an injury during the commission of a felony, police said.
