Cops: North Merrick man held after discharging weapon near bar
Richard Sambade, 44, of North Merrick, was arrested Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, on criminal possession of a weapon and other charges after Nassau County police said he discharged a firearm outside a bar in North Bellmore. Credit: NCPD
A North Merrick man was arrested in connection with the discharging of a firearm from his pickup truck as he left a North Bellmore bar early Sunday morning, Nassau County police said.
Richard Sambade, 44, of Tyrus Court, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon after police said he discharged a firearm just before 1 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Ginger’s Bar at 2046 N. Jersusalem Rd. Sambade opened fire as he drove his Ford F-150 in the bar’s parking lot, police said.
There were no reported injuries.
Nassau police said they responded to the scene after a 911 call reporting a fight in front of the bar.
Several patrons outside the bar told arriving officers that Sambade discharged the weapon, police said.
A short time later, First Precinct officers pulled Sambade over and noted his eyes were glassy and bloodshot and his speech slurred, police said.
Officers recovered a .38-caliber Taurus revolver from inside the pickup, police said, and eight rectangular white pills believed to be Alprazolam were found in Sambade’s pants pocket.
Alprazolam, a generic name for Xanax, is used in the treatment of anxiety.
In addition to criminal possession of a weapon, Sambade was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated.
He was scheduled for arraigned Sunday at First District Court in Hempstead.
