Alleged gang member held after 'crime spree,' shootout with cops

An alleged Crips gang member was held without bail Wednesday after prosecutors said he went on a weekslong "crime spree" that included a Hempstead shooting, a gunpoint robbery in Levittown and culminated early Tuesday when he opened fire on Nassau police officers in Uniondale.

Jonathan Vazquez, 20, of Bay Shore, was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on a dozen charges, including two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one count of second-degree attempted murder; two counts each of assault and criminal use of a firearm, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon and robbery.

"This defendant was wanted for a string of violent gun crimes leading up to his attempt to take the lives of police officers," Assistant District Attorney Nicole Aloise said in court Wednesday.

Daniel D'Lugoff, Vazquez's Legal Aid attorney, asked for "reasonable" bail, citing his client's "deep abiding ties" to the community.

"I acknowledge the allegations are incredibly serious but in these proceedings they are just allegations and he denies them," D'Lugoff said.

District Court Judge Vincent Muscarella remanded Vazquez based on "the seriousness of the charges" and "the potential penalty the defendant may be facing."

Vazquez's family left court without speaking to reporters.

Outside of Nassau police headquarters in Mineola Wednesday, Vazquez shouted obscenities at the media and told them to "get those cameras out of my face."

Records show Vazquez served almost two-and-a-half years in prison on second-degree assault charges and was released in October.

Vazquez was arrested Tuesday when Bureau of Special Operations officers, on patrol in Uniondale, spotted a stolen black Dodge Charger linked to the Levittown robbery and attempted to pull over the driver. Authorities said Vazquez drove off and fled, crashing into another vehicle and injuring an occupant.

From inside the Charger, Vazquez fired his semiautomatic pistol at two officers who had got out of their vehicle and were about 20 feet away, according to charging documents.

One bullet hit the hood of the police car, narrowly missing one of the officers, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Tuesday.

"If that’s two inches higher, it goes and strikes my officer," Ryder said, adding that his officers returned fire, shooting at Vazquez several times.

Vazquez drove away, then reached a dead-end and stepped out of the Charger, pointing his weapon at the officers but the gun did not fire, Ryder said.

The officers chased Vazquez into a residential backyard, where he put the weapon to his head and threatened suicide. The officers did not fire and Vazquez ran away before eventually surrendering.

Vazquez suffered a cut on his back during the pursuit and was treated at a hospital, Ryder said. No officers were shot during the confrontation but one cop injured his knee pursuing Vazquez, police said.

Authorities recovered a 9 mm Luger pistol from the suspect. Ryder said police may release the officer's body camera video.

Police said Vazquez's "crime spree" began Feb. 8 when he shot a man on Martin Luther King Drive in Hempstead. The bullet struck an artery and the victim nearly died, Aloise said.

Eight days later, Vazquez "ambushed another victim at gunpoint," Aloise said.

Authorities said the 52-year-old female victim was robbed at gunpoint outside her home. Vazquez stole her pocketbook, which contained a cellphone, wallet, credit cards, and an "undisclosed amount" of money, police said.

Vazquez is due back in court Friday.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.