Teen gunman arrested for GPS theft

Police said they have arrested a teenaged gunman who stole a GPS device from a parked van in Hempstead on Thursday, fired at his pursuers as he fled, but was still chased down, tackled and held by them for police.

Ralphael Brown, 16, of 11 Lent St., was charged with first degree robbery with a deadly weapon and other related charges, Nassau police said. He was to be arraigned Friday in First District Court, Hempstead.

Brown stole a GPS device from an unoccupied parked van on Clinton Avenue at 12:45 p.m., police said. However, the van's 23-year-old owner arrived with two friends before he could get away.

Brown fled on foot with the device's owner and one friend chasing him on foot, and the second friend by car, police said. Brown stopped momentarily during the pursuit, pulled a black revolver from his sweatshirt and fired once in the direction of the two running after him but missed, police said.

Brown continued running away, and the two men kept after him, police said.

Brown stopped a second time and prepared to fire again, but the pursuing car pulled up alongside of him at that moment and startled him, police said, and his shot went wildly into the air.

After tackling him, the three men were able to disarm him, and hold him on the ground until Hempstead police arrived.

No one was reported injured.