Fatal S.I. Hit-and-Run Suspect's Latest Defense

A new twist in the tragic hit-and-run that claimed the lives of a livery cab driver and his wife. A lawyer for the suspect, Theodore Ricks—whose driver's license was revoked four times and suspended 17 times—suggests his client was the victim of the NYPD's racial profiling and that the police had been chasing him, causing him to slam into Mohamed Elnahal's car. The Staten Island Advance has video showing a police car with its lights on, following a black car: "If the vehicle in the video is indeed the Mercedes, the footage would support witness claims that [Ricks] was tailed on four nearby residential streets right before the crash, something police have denied." Cops claim they followed Ricks because his car's windows were too darkly tinted and suggest that Ricks sped away because he did not have a license and his passenger had pot. In the meantime, a donation fund has been created for Elnahal's now orphaned sons; the Daily News says donations can be made in Kareem and Omar Elnahal's names at any Chase branch.

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By Jen Chung in News on February 17, 2009 6:48 PM

Comments [rss]

Snoopy

Actually profiling and stereotyping go hand in hand. What's the problem here?

S.D.

...

Did "profiling" make him illegally drive the car too?

I suppose "profiling" made him get his driver's license revoked four times and suspended 17 times too.

Profiling does exists, is a bad idea (another topic) but not really relevant here IMO.

robingee

Also jail someone whose license is suspended 17 TIMES.

I went to court in NY once for a traffic ticket and there was a kid there who had been suspended 20 times. And the judge let him go! WTF?

nycnyc

This piece of crap driver deserves to be chareged with vehicular manslaughter and should never be allowed to drive again. His license was suspended 17 times, which shows utter disregard to vehicle traffic laws. He is probably the same idiot who speeds, talks on the cellphone, blows through red lights with his music blaring.

And to blame the cops for following him..haha. I wonder why in the world cops would be chasing a guy who's license was suspended 17 times. HMMMMMM, you sure sound liek the safest most law abiding citizen idiot.

NannyState

Name and address of that lawyer please.

Armchair_warrior

the guy and his lawyer should be hung by their balls before being shot.

Politburo

The lawyer is just doing his job. If you don't like our justice system, you are free to complain or go elsewhere, but threats are simply not acceptable.

Snoopy

That is exactly what he is doing, complaining. And he is not threatening. He is only making good suggestions for what to do with the guy. Except he is going too easy on the scum ball. They should take his keys and the car they belong to and shove it up his butt right after his lawyer and his family are run over by some drunk driver.

Feel better now?

LinkMan

The car in the video looks to me like a circa 1990 (give or take a couple years) black Mercedes SEL. Is that what the jerk was driving?

Another question: who points a home surveillance camera at the street? Have the people who live in this house had problems with people breaking into their car or something? (Spy on the world and the world will spy back on you, my paranoid friends.)

Future Taliban

Your entire national economy is crumbling like a withered Graham cracker kept for too long in a heavily jostled purse and you still find time for THIS crap?

If I were you I'd focus on articles that encourage useful survival tips; like how to make a tasty soup from dandelions or how to weave cardboard latte holders into walking shoes.

jaycjay

So the story is that a police car behind him lit up, he knew it was a police car following him, and he sped away in an attempt to evade it. And that's his lawyer's idea of a defense? Sounds more like a confession.