By Lauralyn Avallone
Confusion during an arrest at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Central Avenue led one Baldwin police officer to hit a fellow officer with his unmarked car last Wednesday. Officer Douglas Hardiman was chasing a suspect attempting to flee the scene when he was struck by the vehicle. He was treated and released that evening.
According to police and an eyewitness, six youths cruised Baldwin Wednesday night, August 23, verbally assaulting local teens, claiming to be looking for members of the Bloods gang, and threatening them with bats and axes. Police say that the six troublemakers were not identified as being a gang but were posing as one while harassing locals.
An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, and his friends were hanging out at their usual spot in the Walbaum's parking lot on Atlantic when six "hard thugs" in a "fake gang" pulled up in a red Lincoln and got out swinging bats, axes and chains. Robert Kogler, 17, and Matthew Manchin, 18, both from Freeport; and Mark Harrington,17, Vincent Logiudici, 17, and Brian Payne, 17, all of Lynbrook; and an unidentified juvenile approached the group of Baldwin kids allegedly looking for a fight, according to police.
"They started screaming, 'Are you the Bloods?'" the twenty-year-old Baldwin resident said. The Bloods are a real gang that haunt portions of Nassau County. None of the Baldwin residents approached are part of the gang.
"They were swinging their bats, trying to hit our cars but didn't. Everyone got scared and jumped in their cars. Cops came and followed the guys up to the Baldwin Coach Diner when a cop started chasing one of the kids. Then the cop car hit the cop. He went flying in the air."
Officer Dan Carbone, who was at the scene, said that when the police stopped the red Lincoln for questioning, the juvenile pushed his way out of the car and started running down Sunrise Highway. Officer Hardiman took off after him and was accidentally struck by a fellow officer in an unmarked car. "I heard [the impact]. It was a loud hit," said Officer Carbone.
Officer Douglas Hardiman was taken to Nassau County Medical Center and treated for minor injuries. The officer is now recovering at home. In response to the car mishap, Sergeant John Carney said, "Foot pursuits are very dangerous. A cop getting hit by another cop car is rare but it has happened before."
Detective Carl Re at the First Squad said that the group of teens were not a gang and that their motivations that night are unknown. He also said that it was an "isolated incident."
The five males were arrested for assault and charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree. The juvenile was charged with Resisting Arrest and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.
