Arrested man escapes police custody and hospital
A hospitalized suspect facing criminal possession and harassment charges allegedly attacked a cop and fled police custody on Friday afternoon, remaining on the lam for an hour before a canine officer found him.
According to the Suffolk County Police Department, 1st Precinct officers had used a Taser while arresting suspect Alexander Thomas in North Amityville the previous night on several charges, including criminal possession of a loaded weapon, harassment, resisting arrest and criminal possession of stolen property. Officers brought Thomas, a 25-year-old Huntington resident, to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip for treatment, at which point the suspect complained of chest pains.
At noon on Friday, police said, Thomas assaulted an officer at the hospital and fled on foot, before a Canine Unit officer and his dog found the defendant an hour later. Police added second-degree escape and second-degree assault to the defendant’s charges.
Attorney information for Thomas was not immediately available.
Both the allegedly assaulted officer and Thomas were treated at the hospital for minor injuries after the capture and were released, police said.