Fast-acting cops earned special recognition last week for taking an alleged robbery suspect off the street.
On the afternoon of March 20, Officers Matthew Colao and Jeremy Catania responded to a call from a complainant standing on the corner of Gold and Concord Streets.
The person said that two days before, he was the victim of a robbery.
This was not a case of delayed reaction: The person reported the crime at the time, according to Leslie Lewis, the president of the 84th Precinct Community Council.
The reason the man called again was that he just happened to see the perpetrator stroll on by, Lewis said.
The cops quickly put the complainant in their squad car to canvass the neighborhood.
At the intersection of Gold and Tillary Street, the crime victim identified the perpetrator.
The suspect was no longer strolling.
Aware he was being tailed, he ran, Lewis said.
A foot chase ensued, with the cops chasing the suspect northbound on Gold Street, then back to Concord, where he was first spotted by his victim.
The suspect was arrested and found to be carrying a cell phone that did not belong to him, Lewis said.
For their efforts, the officers were named “Cops of the Month.” They received warm applause and wood plaques at the 84th Precinct Community Council’s April meeting.
