Internal Affairs Now Probing Police Role in SI Hit-and-Run

The Staten Island hit-and-run case last weekend that left a couple dead has been reopened after evidence surfaced that police were chasing down the black Mercedes driven by Theodore Ricks before he ran into the livery cab where Mohamed Elnahal and Mervat Saad Ibrahim lost their lives. The NYPD had twice denied that Internal Affairs was involved with any investigation, but now have confirmed that such a probe is under way.

SI Advance obtained a video that appears to show a police van with lights flashing speeding after Ricks's vehicle, which they may have been flagging down due to windows that were tinted too darkly.

Surveillance video

A witness on the street had originally told reporters that he had seen the police van trailing the Mercedes, but the NYPD had vehemently denied any chase throughout the week. The last statement from a police spokesman after the video surfaces said, "At no time was this vehicle pursued. On Jackson (where the video was taken), whether this was another vehicle, we don't know."

A lawyer that is representing the twin boys who were orphaned as a result of the crash called the idea of a second black sedan being in the same area followed by police an unbelievable coincidence. He said that a lawsuit is likely.

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By Billy Parker in News on February 18, 2009 5:30 PM

Comments [rss]

nycnyc

If there is any lawsuit it should be against the driver and his insurance company (if he actually had insurance)This moron had his license suspended 17 times...If the cops would not take action against him to get him off the road then he would still be driving and would probably kill someone else.

The car in the video appears to have tinted windows which is illegal and sufficient reason to be pulled over.

woodendesigner

Even if the cops were trying to pull him over he was the one that was at fault because he did NOT pull over. I understand not pursuing anyone to the point where you are creating an unsafe situation but I think it's pretty obvious that this guy needed to be taken off the road. You don't get your license suspended 17 times because of a mistake. He is a shitty driver with shitty judgement and that is the cause of the accident and the couple in the livery cab dying.

There are a lot of problems with how some cops behave and use bad judgement but that does not mean that this is a problem here.

Spirit of 76

You're treating this as an "either/or" situation. There's no reason why the perp and the cops couldn't both be at fault. The commission of one crime does not excuse a second.

handsomedevil

Weeeeell, considering that the PD initially denied that there was a chase, it's possible that the officers involved decided to keep that aspect under their hats. This could be one of those "you didn't break the law until you tried to cover your tracks" kind of things.