Crime watch

Lynbrook police: Man injured, arrested after gun goes off in MRI machine

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A Williston Park man was arrested last month after a handgun he possessed fired and injured him when he was about to undergo an MRI.

According to the Lynbrook Police Department, Frank Chester came to Stand-Up MRI of Lynbrook, at 229 Broadway, at about 6 p.m. on May 14, and his handgun discharged when he entered the MRI room, causing injuries to his thighs.

Police said that employees at the facility told them that they asked Chester to make sure he had no metal on him before he entered the MRI room. Police said Chester told employees he did not possess any metal and when he entered the MRI room, the technician told police they heard a loud popping sound. Chester had a loaded .380 caliber handgun in his pocket and the magnets from the MRI machine caused it to discharge.

The bullet entered Chester’s right thigh and passed through his left thigh. Lynbrook police officers arrived on the scene and treated him until an ambulance took him to NYU Winthrop Hospital, in Mineola, for further care. An update on his condition was not available at press time.

Chester had a license to possess the firearm, but was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.