Case Study in LPRs or Why Only Stupid Criminals Bring Wanted Vehicles to Westchester

MOUNT VERNON, NY (May 23, 2023) — A Mount Vernon man learned the hard way yesterday why you do not want to bring a hot car to Westchester.

After more than two hours on the run, the man was ultimately apprehended and was charged with Reckless Endangerment, several other misdemeanors and more than a dozen violations of Vehicle & Traffic Law.

The events began at 1:55 p.m. when the Real Time Crime center advised that a BMW wanted by the NYPD was traveling on Westchester Avenue in Harrison. The vehicle was wanted because it had fled from the NYPD earlier in the day.

A Westchester County Police Department officer located the BMW on the southbound Hutch and attempted a traffic stop. The driver pulled onto the shoulder, threw it in reverse and narrowly missed striking the patrol car. The BMW then fled at high speed, including driving through a coned-off construction zone, endangering road workers as well as motorists passing slowly in an adjacent lane.

The pursuit was terminated for safety reasons, but an officer further south on the Hutch saw the BMW exit at Mill Road in Eastchester. The officer followed but did not pursue due to traffic conditions.

The fleeing vehicle made its way to the Bronx River Parkway, where another WCPD officer spotted it near the Cross County Parkway but terminated a pursuit when it reached the New York City line.

Though the vehicle was out of their sight, officers kept watch for its possible return and also continued to canvass the area. At 2:50 p.m., our Conditions Unit located the BMW parked on South 4th Avenue in Mount Vernon. They settled in to wait.

About 3:15 p.m., a man approached the BMW and appeared to be attempting to switch its license plate from the improper New Jersey tag that was on it. As officers moved in, he led them on yet another pursuit – this time on foot. A perimeter was established with Mount Vernon Police Department officers, and other WCPD officers from the Emergency Services Unit and Canine Unit came to the scene.

Bloodhound Essex led her handler and ESU officers to a yard on South Fifth Avenue. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.

Arrest & Charges:

• Easton Spencer, 28, of Mount Vernon, NY
  

Criminal Charges

• Reckless Endangerment – 2nd
• Fleeing an Officer in a Motor Vehicle – 3rd
• Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle – 3rd
• Obstruction of Governmental Administration – 2nd
  

Vehicle & Traffic Law Violations

• Unsafe Backing
• Speeding in a Construction Zone
• Unsafe Lane Change
• Crossing Road Hazard Markings
• Improper Passing on the Right
• Driving on Slopes and Shoulders
• Unsafe Turn/Failure to Signal
• Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device
• Failure to Obey a Police Officer
• Driving With A Suspended License
• Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Insurance
• Operating Without an Inspection Certificate
• Having a Faulty Exhaust System
• Excessively Tinted Windows
• Single License Plate
  

Spencer was also found to have warrants in Mount Vernon and elsewhere. He was booked at WCPD headquarters on all of the above and then turned over to MVPD.