Suffolk Police Officer Ralph Dimasi hit, police vehicle disabled by man wanted in gas station robberies, police say

A Holbrook man who allegedly robbed two gas stations, struck a police officer with his car and then disabled a police vehicle during a chase was arrested Friday and charged with robbery and assault, Suffolk County police said.

Joshua Basile, 35, stole food from the Quik Chek gas station on Veterans Memorial Highway in Bohemia and then fled in a 2022 Ford Explorer at about 1:35 a.m. Thursday, police said. He then entered an Islandia BP gas station, also on Veterans Memorial Highway, brandishing a handgun, and demanded cash and cigarettes from the clerk before fleeing in the vehicle, police said.

Police issued an alert and an officer spotted and stopped the vehicle on Veterans Memorial Highway in Bohemia, police said. Basile complied when the officer asked him to turn off the car, but when he was asked to exit the car, he restarted it and struggled with two officers before fleeing in the vehicle, police said. 

While fleeing, Basile struck Officer Ralph Dimasi with the vehicle, police said. Dimasi was airlifted by helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

Basile was located as he was driving the Explorer on the Long Island Expressway in Queens at about 1:50 p.m. Friday, police said. As police attempted to conduct a vehicle stop, Basile's vehicle struck and disabled a police vehicle and he fled, police said.

He was located on Jamaica Avenue in Queens Village and taken into custody at 3:50 p.m. Friday, police said.

Basile was charged with first-degree robbery and criminal use of a firearm, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and assault, and petit larceny. He was expected to be arraigned Saturday, police said.

It was not immediately clear if he was represented by counsel.

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.com@Scraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.