Friends and family were struggling Monday to understand the
chain of events that ended with the death
of a 15-year-old boy struck by an unlicensed Lexus driver as
NYPD cops chased the teen
from the scene of a knifepoint robbery in Queens.
The Saturday night death of Anthony Benitez has devasted his family in Garden City Park, L.I., and stunned his friends, said Lori Hudson, who created a GoFundMe to raise money for the boy’s family. Hudson’s son was a close friend of Anthony’s.
“No way, no how,” Hudson said of the teen’s possible involvement in the armed robbers. “He’s a little boy,
the sweetest thing
. I know my people are always like, ‘Not my kid.’ I’m not like that — but I’m telling you this kid would not harm anybody.”
Anthony went to
New Hyde Park Memorial High School
and played lacrosse and football.
“He’s at my house at least three to four times a week,” Hudson said of Anthony. “They go to school together. They all hang out and ride bikes together.”
Hudson said her son was at the movies when Anthony was killed, learning what happened in a group chat afterwards.
Anthony’s mother now has to deal with the death of her only child.
Much about what happened is not yet clear.
The NYPD said that officers at 8:01 p.m. Saturday responded to a 911 call of a knifepoint robbery in progress outside a corner pharmacy on Hillside Ave and 257th St. in Floral Park. The victim, a 14-year-old boy, had been confronted by a group of other teens.
When the officers arrived they “canvassed the area, locating an individual who fled on an electric bike,” the NYPD said in a statement.
That individual was Anthony, who kept going and was followed by cops for a little over a mile, until he was fatally struck by the Lexus driver.
It wasn’t clear how fast the cops were going. A high-ranking NYPD source said the officers were on their radio for much of the chase, calling ahead for assistance.
When the teen made it to Long Island, he was struck and killed by the driver of a Lexus at Lakeville Road and Bryant Ave. in New Hyde Park.
The NYPD officers were “a bit behind him” at that point, the source said, but got to the scene moments later and tried life-saving measures in vain.
Anthony died at the scene. The GoFundMe benefitting his family raised over $20,000 from more than 300 donors in less than 24 hours.
A knife was found on him, the source said, but it wasn’t yet clear what role the teen played in the robbery that sparked the chase or how many others are being sought in connection with the robbery.
The Lexus driver, Ruyan Ali, 28, had crossed into opposing traffic to pass a car that was slowing to a stop in front of him when he allegedly struck Anthony, authorities said. He tried to get away but was arrested nearby and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and traffic violations.
The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating the actions of the NYPD officers. It was not clear Monday if the officers involved remain on full duty.
The NYPD earlier this year
tightened up its pursuit policy
, allowing officers to chase suspects in their vehicles only when a felony crime or a violent misdemeanor is committed.
The guidelines, effective Feb. 1, came amid widespread criticism over the last few years that the NYPD routinely engaged in unnecessary pursuits that lead to crashes and injuries.
Cops chased 2,278 fleeing vehicles throughout the five boroughs last year. About a quarter of those pursuits, 569 in total, ended in a collision that caused either property damage or harmed someone, the NYPD says.
Instead of following fleeing drivers responsible for traffic violations, the department will rely on “advanced tools of modern-day policing” to track down and apprehend the suspects, NYPD Commissioner
Jessica Tisch said
in January of the new policies.
Prior to the new policy, NYPD car chases surged during the Adams administration as cops tried to curtail the use of ghost cars — vehicles with fake license plates, NYPD officials said.
