Quantcast

Cop surrenders in hit-and-run

An 84th Precinct cop who rammed his police cruiser into a 61-year-old bicyclist as he blew through a red light in DUMBO — then failed to report what happened in the June 14 incident — was arrested on Tuesday.

With very little fanfare, Officer Louis Ramos surrendered at the Gold Street stationhouse, though he was released on his own recognizance after being charged with assault in the third degree, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving — all misdemeanors.

Investigators said Ramos struck the senior as he zipped past the corner of Jay and Sands streets.

The 19-year NYPD veteran and his partner, Officer Paris Anderson, were waiting at a red light at the corner when Ramos reportedly flipped on his lights and sirens, pulled into oncoming traffic and sped past several cars before hitting Yu Tong Chan as he pedaled by.

Chan, who was in the crosswalk when he was hit, was thrown off his bike and suffered a fractured nose and right hand, a broken tooth and a deep cut to his lip which needed stitches.

Instead of calling for an ambulance, Ramos and his partner escorted Chan to the sidewalk and offered the senior a few tissues so he could clean himself up.

The officers then left, never reporting the incident to their dispatcher or supervisor — key steps that officers must take in such situations.

The accident would apparently not have come to light had Chan not pursued the matter on his own.

Armed with videotape footage that showed a portion of the incident, the senior filed a report against the two cops, sparking an investigation that led to both officers being suspended without pay.

Ramos claimed he never hit Chan and that the senior tumbled off the bike after being startled by the police siren. It remains unclear if the officers were responding to a 911 call at the time of the accident.

A call to Capt. Mark DiPaolo, the commanding officer of the 84th Precinct, was not returned by late Tuesday. An NYPD spokesman would not comment on Ramos’s arrest, and the cop’s lawyer Stephen Worth merely added that “he’s looking forward to his vindication.”