Drug suspect from West Hempstead hit police cars in effort to flee, Queens DA says

A West Hempstead man, who was the target of a drug investigation, faces attempted murder and other criminal charges after he used his SUV in January to push an unmarked police car that was boxing him in and that car nearly struck a NYPD detective, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Friday.

Antoine Sheppard, 52, was arraigned Friday in Queens Supreme Court on a grand jury indictment on first-degree attempted murder, second- and fourth-degree conspiracy, third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, attempted aggravated assault of a police office, first-degree attempted assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of second- and third-degree criminal mischief and reckless driving, Katz said in a statement.

Queens Supreme Court Judge John Zoll ordered Sheppard, who faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted, to return to court May 11.

"In an attempt to evade police, this defendant allegedly threw his SUV in reverse, then gunned it forward to push the car in front of him out of the way," Katz said. "The detective — doing his job investigating drug trafficking in Queens — could have been killed if the nearly two ton car slammed into him."

Brian Grant, 56, and Darion Grant, 51, both of Jamaica, Queens, were also indicted, Katz said. The two were arraigned on April 6 in front of Zoll on second- and fourth-degree conspiracy, third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. The two, who face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, were also ordered to return to court on May 11.

According to the charges, prosecutors said, authorities obtained court-authorized warrants to listen in on the cellphones of all three defendants. Listening in on calls and using surveillance, authorities said they uncovered a drug dealing network as the three bought and sold cocaine in and around the Queens sections of Jamaica, Laurelton and South Jamaica.

On Jan. 5, after police became aware of a "major drug delivery" Sheppard was scheduled to make, officers attempted to pull over the Range Rover he was driving in Laurelton, the district attorney's office said. They used multiple vehicles to box Sheppard in, but he went in reverse and slammed into a police car behind him.

Sheppard then threw the SUV in drive and pushed a police car in front of him forward to get by, but the car that was pushed forward nearly hit a detective, prosecutors said. Sheppard abandoned the SUV several blocks away, but was caught weeks later in Nassau County.

Sheppard's lawyer, Jeffrey Cohen of Queens, said Friday he and his client are reviewing the charges but did not comment further.

Brian Grant's attorney Mahmud Rabah of Queens said his client "intends to fight this case."

Darion Grant's attorney, Kenneth Montgomery of Brooklyn, declined to comment.