Christopher Brown, of Holbrook, arrested after fleeing traffic stop, injuring deputy sheriff, officials say
A Holbrook man who injured a deputy sheriff while fleeing a traffic stop in Bohemia on Sept. 28 has been arrested on multiple charges, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
The sheriff's office said Christopher Brown, 37, was arrested Thursday and charged with second-degree assault, third-degree assault, resisting arrest, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree obstructing governmental administration and two counts each of reckless driving and third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer.
In addition, Brown was charged on an outstanding warrant issued by the Amityville Police Department with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, as well as with being an unlicensed driver and having an unlawful plate display. Brown faces arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip on Oct. 16.
"I commend the swift efforts of the Deputy Sheriffs involved in this investigation, who quickly located and apprehended a suspect whose reckless disregard for the law led to the injury of a Deputy Sheriff," Suffolk Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr., said in a statement Friday, adding: "This incident serves as a powerful reminder of the dangerous work our Deputies face nightly as they patrol to ensure the safety of our roads."
Authorities said that at about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 28, a deputy sheriff initiated a traffic stop on Lincoln Avenue in Bohemia and, while at the driver's side window of the vehicle Brown was driving, told him there was a warrant for his arrest issued by Amityville police. The sheriff's office said that instead of surrendering, Brown "put the vehicle in drive and attempted to flee, dragging the Deputy Sheriff alongside the vehicle and causing injury to his leg."
Officials have not released the identity of the deputy sheriff — nor the extent of any injuries.
Authorities said that while Brown fled the scene, the vehicle was found abandoned soon after the incident — and said Brown was located after "an extensive investigation" that included interviewing people at potential workplaces and known associates, as well as locating potential addresses.
It was not immediately clear if Brown is represented by counsel.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
