Delivery Bicyclist Fatally Mowed Down During Drug Bust Chase

In a sad twist of fate in Long Island City yesterday, a man who was on his way to make a food delivery to police officers was struck and killed by a man who had just made an illicit purchase from cops and was driving wildly while trying to avoid their chase. 27-year old Pablo Pasaras was riding his bike on 35th Avenue en route to deliver food from the restaurant Antojitos Cibaeno to nearby housing officers when he was plowed into by the black Range Rover driven by Martin Ocasio. The 33-year-old Ocasio had just bought drugs from undercover officers and was racing away from an unmarked squad car giving chase when he slammed into Pasaras and a nearby parked car around 6:30 p.m. Ocasio has been arrested nine times previously, including several for drug charges. Pasaras, a father of three, was pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital. A family member called him "a very nice guy" and "a very good father."

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By Billy Parker in News on August 9, 2009 1:10 PM

Comments [rss]

Jane moore

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hexatron

It's a good point about the drug war. The fundamental problem is that an innocent person wouldn't be dead here if not for this situation created by drug prohibition. Was the drug bust and the subsequent prevention of someone using a substance worth this guy's life?

As for the "everyone will OD" argument, look at the facts: whenever a country like the Netherlands or Portugal has ended prohibition, usage went DOWN.

Rocknrope

I thought we still had a 3 strikes rule. He was arrested 9 times and didn't go to prison at least twice? Another system success story.

NannyState

Plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain, plea bargain...oops.

Steven

"A family member called him "a very nice guy" and "a very good father."

Here we go again. It's always being a very nice person...

emilydickinson

They were referring to Mr. Pasaras, the delivery man who was killed.

silver

pwned!

holyfrjole

Could be looking at a felony murder charge for the death during the commission of a crime. What could have likely just been a misdemeanor drug charge can now be charged as manslaughter, murder 2, resisting arrest, and a whole host of other charges if the DA is creative enough. We won't be seeing Mr. Ocasio on the street anytime soon.

Mr Mel

What we don't know is the size of the purchase.

Dead Himmler

If everyone used mass transit tradegies like this one could be avoided.

JGNY

Obvs he is guilty of murder. However this is the same type of thing the LAPD engages in. A guy buys a dime bag and they engage in a high speed chase over the city. Why bother? Is it really that important to get the collar? Is it worth putting the rest of the public in danger as it did here? No.

JGNY

Two weeks ago in Fort Green an innocent man was gunned down by the NYPD and here is another murder at the hands of the irresponsible thugs in blue. I hope his family sues the city.

s0me_g0d

Are you suggesting that the police officers killed the delivery guy?

JGNY

yes, I am. If they were not police officers then they would have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

s0me_g0d

What about the guy who physically ran over him with his own car?

thefacts

Another casualty on the failed War on Drugs.

Time to legalize!

silver

Legalize drugs, and in 100 years, everyone who gets addicted instead of recreational usage will OD and be dead and not pass on their genes or their mental illnesses make humans immuned through genes or upbringing to drug addiction.

thefacts

Well-constructed sentence.

Not!

What are you trying to say? What drugs were you under when you wrote it?

Anyway, if you wish to continue to criminalize drugs, then you surely wish to criminalize alcohol and tobacco, two of the more addictive and dangerous drugs in the pharmacopeia.

Silver, you should change your name to Carrie Nation. Or at least learn from her mistakes.

Quidnam

I think silver was actually commenting on the potentially salutary eugenic effects of unimpeded drug use among weak-minded and addiction-prone individuals, as opposed to the potentially dysgenic effects of our current policies.

In other words, he's making a pro-legalization argument, not an anti-legalization one.

thefacts

You have a point there.

Thanks for explicating his remarks.

longacre

When drug buyers act irresponsibly and kill people, blame the cops. Brilliant logic.

thefacts

Who blamed the cops? Who mentioned cops? Not I.

Are you on drugs?

I blamed the failed War on Drugs which is supported by right-wing politicians and troglodytes on Gothamist like you who did poorly in Reading Comprehension.

s0me_g0d

More like another casualty to stupidity.

You seem to be following that trend.

thefacts

You must be the only person left in NYC who believes that the War of Drugs is not a failure.

If drugs were legal, the guy wouldn't be fleeing cops and running over people, would he, Sherlock?