Night of mayhem at scene of fatal crash

State troopers investigating a fatal accident on the Meadowbrook Parkway had to dive out of the way when a suspected gunman being chased by Nassau police raced onto the road and plowed into the accident scene late Monday, police said.

The plainclothes officers were pursuing a man and woman after confronting one of the suspects in Uniondale on suspicion he was about to commit a robbery, police said. He fired on them during the chase, police said.

About 90 minutes before officers had to jump out of the way to avoid the fleeing suspects, State Police said, Albania Dominguez-Gonzalez, 23, of Freeport, was killed. She was a passenger in a car stalled with a flat tire in the left lane of the southbound Meadowbrook when another car slammed into it from behind, State Police spokesman Frank Bandiero said.

Yeltsin Ortega, 18, of Freeport, said he, Dominguez-Gonzalez and another man were heading home from Roosevelt Field at about 10:15 p.m. when the front passenger-side tire went flat on the 1991 Acura. He said he couldn't pull off the road.

"There were cars flying by me," Ortega said, even after he put on his hazard lights. Ortega said the male passenger went to get help. Ortega looked in the mirror to see headlights bearing down on them.

Police said a 2005 Lincoln driven by Carol Pichardo, 38, of Islip Terrace, crashed into the Acura and then into a 2004 Lincoln passing by, driven by Mohamed Sharif, 66, of Merrick.

Dominguez-Gonzalez was taken to Nassau University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Ortega had head and neck injuries, and the two Lincoln drivers had minor injuries, police said.

Ortega said he passed out briefly and when he came to, tried to wake Dominguez-Gonzalez, who was in the backseat and whom he described as a friend.

"I pulled her head up a little bit to pick her up and when I picked her up, she went right back down," he said. "I knew she was already dead."

Ortega said she had a 2-year-old daughter and had moved to the United States three months ago from the Dominican Republic.

About an hour and a half later, an unrelated police chase that began in Uniondale ended in the middle of the accident scene. In that chase, Nassau police said, passenger Damon Banner, 25, of Queens, shot at officers chasing the car, driven by Ayanna Zellner, 28, of Freeport. Police said a third suspect bailed during the pursuit and hasn't been found.

Banner and Zellner were charged with first-degree attempted murder and other charges. Police said both will be arraigned "as soon as practical." After their crash, the pair had minor injuries and were taken to Nassau University Medical Center, police said, adding that a .45-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene.

The chase began on Westbury Boulevard in Uniondale when officers saw a man with a backpack walking along the street and saw another man approaching from behind, covering his head with a hood, police said.

Police said the officers identified themselves and attempted to stop Banner, who they believed was about to commit armed robbery. Police said Banner grabbed at his waistband as if he had a weapon, then jumped into the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Zellner.

The officers pursued the Malibu in an unmarked vehicle with lights and sirens on, police said. During the chase, police said Banner leaned out of the passenger-side window and fired at the pursuing officers but missed.

Zellner eventually headed from Hempstead Turnpike to the entrance of the Meadowbrook Parkway, police said, driving around a marked police car blocking the entrance so an investigation could be completed.

With John Valenti

and Andrew Smith