Queens man tasered after shoplifting, assaulting Roosevelt Field store employee, police say
A Queens man punched an employee of a Roosevelt Field outerwear store on Saturday after he was caught stealing merchandise but was Tasered and apprehended by Nassau County police following a brief chase with cops, authorities said.
Late Saturday afternoon, David Jennings, 54, of Yates Road in Queens and Raquan Pitt, 30, of Terrace Avenue in Hempstead attempted to swipe merchandise valued at about $330 from Moose Knuckles, located inside the East Garden City mall, Nassau police said Monday.
An unidentified Moose Knuckles store employee, 39, followed the suspects to retrieve the merchandise but Jennings punched him in the face before fleeing in a white Jeep Cherokee driven by William Morris, 39, of Elizabeth Avenue in Hempstead, police said.
Shortly thereafter, officers from the Third Precinct located the vehicle traveling south on Ring Road, activated their emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop, police said.
Morris and Pitt were taken into custody while Jennings left the vehicle and attempted to flee, authorities said.
Jennings refused multiple verbal commands by police to stop running and resisted arrest while reaching toward his waistband, leading officers to use a Taser on the suspect, police said. Jennings was taken into custody and transported by a Nassau Police Ambulance to a hospital for evaluation.
He was later found to have a powdery substance believed to be cocaine, cops said.
Jennings is charged with third-and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third-degree robbery, petit larceny, second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. He will be arraigned when medically practical, authorities said.
Pitt is charged with petit larceny while Morris is charged with multiple vehicle and traffic law violations. They were both released on appearance tickets and are due back in court on Feb. 9.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
