Dale Anderson
The Buffalo News, N.Y.
ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — The Erie County Sheriff’s Air 1 helicopter helped track three vehicles as Buffalo Police made five arrests Saturday night and Sunday morning, the Buffalo Police Department announced.
The helicopter first assisted Northeast District officers who spotted a stolen vehicle on Genesee Street at about 6 p.m. Saturday. When it stopped at a dead end on Haven Street, Air 1 kept watch overhead as one occupant of the vehicle was apprehended in a field off Haven Street , while another was caught in the first block of Kerns Avenue.
A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, both of Buffalo, were charged with criminal possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
At 11 p.m. Saturday, Air 1 tracked a vehicle stolen earlier in the day in the 1500 block of Bailey Avenue until it was parked behind a house in the 500 block of Dodge Street and the occupants fled.
With Air 1 overhead, Ferry Fillmore officers found the driver inside a garbage tote in the 500 block of Northampton Street. Terrien Anderson, 18, of Buffalo, was charged with criminal possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Police said a 15-year-old and two 17-year-olds from Buffalo also were in the vehicle.
Air 1 assisted again shortly past midnight Sunday after Northeast District officers attempted to pull over a vehicle swerving through traffic on Bailey Avenue near Oakmont Avenue.
When the driver did not stop, Air 1 tracked the vehicle. Officers in the helicopter saw something thrown from the vehicle in the 100 block of Kilhoffer Street , then kept following as it sped through city streets and crashed at Main and Amherst streets.
With help from the helicopter, a passenger in the vehicle was apprehended at East Amherst and Pannell streets, and the driver was taken into custody on the roof of a building in the first block of East Amherst Street. Officers recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson pistol on Kilhoffer Street.
The driver, Darryl Black, 20, of Buffalo, faces numerous gun and traffic charges. His passenger, Timmarrow Crowley, 21, of Charlotte, N.C. , was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Both are held in the Erie County Holding Center.
“Last night shows just how vital the sheriff’s helicopter is in our efforts to safely apprehend those that are stealing and operating stolen cars,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia said. “This is not just a property crime — some of these stolen vehicles are involved in violent crime and carrying guns.”
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