A man wanted for the attempted murder of upstate police officers was dramatically apprehended in Brooklyn on Monday evening. Police say suspect Joshua Stuart, 42, was spotted in Gowanus near the Whole Foods; he was apparently contemplating swimming through the canal to escape but was arrested before he could use the notoriously toxic waters as a getaway route.
Stuart is also accused of a gunpoint robbery earlier in the morning in Bay Ridge, forcing $50 and a credit card from a store employee.
BREAKING: Just interviewed an eyewitness to Joshua Stuart’s arrest, which happened behind the Whole Foods in Gowanus... she said suspect tried to escape across the canal by hopping on a barge, but could not make it. She saw officers recovering a handgun, was told to run by PD. pic.twitter.com/rF56E2t4ZA
— Henry Rosoff (@HenryRosoff) October 1, 2018
Ellenville police say that Stuart had fired shots at Ellenville Regional Hospital early on Friday. While no one was injured, Department of Environmental Protection police found his car in Napanoch, in Ulster County. There, Stuart allegedly fired upon officers and disappeared into the woods.
Stuart was tracked to Brooklyn on Sunday. Police found the SUV in Gowanus, and WCBS 2 reports, "Someone reported seeing him on a bench with a bag and wearing just one shoe."
A witness said the police were chasing him: "All of a sudden, we see like 15-20 cops just come, and guns drawn, and yelling at the suspect," as he approached the Gowanus Canal. "They ran, we saw him jump over the rail, and then he got into the water like halfway I guess. And they’re telling him, ‘get out of the water, get out of the (expletive) water.'"
Stuart was charged with robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property, and criminal possession of a controlled substance for the Brooklyn incident.