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Buffalo man charged in domestic violence incident

Michael Sawyer, 32, is also accused of assaulting an 80-year-old in a grocery store parking lot earlier this week.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo man accused of trying to steal a woman's purse in a Tops parking lot this week and dragging her with a car, sending her to the hospital, is now accused in a domestic violence case. That 80-year-old victim is still in the hospital at ECMC.

Michael Sawyer, 32, now faces seven more charges - including strangulation and assault which are both Class D felonies - for an alleged incident April 1 where he's accused of punching and slapping the victim during an argument at a home in Buffalo. Sawyer is accused of strangling the victim and throwing her to the floor in front of two children. He's also charged with taking her cell phone so she couldn't call for help and taking her keys and car without permission.

The attempted purse snatching happened Tuesday at the Tops at Harlem and Kensington. And both in March of this year and November of last year, Sawyer is accused of leading police on a high speed chase and taking off after traffic stops.

2 On Your Side talked with the Erie County District Attorney on Thursday about the latest charges.

"We have two incidents in the past week here, one involving a senior citizen and another involving children that were involved, I am very concerned about both of those charges and that is why Mr. Sawyer is not only going to be prosecuted vigorously on both of the matters, he's also going to be charged vigorously even on the misdemeanor ones in Cheektowaga Town Court, the fleeing of a police officer. I've already told my Assistant D.A. out in Cheektowaga there is no plea on those two charges at all," says Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.

The Cheektowaga Police Chief says Sawyer has been arrested 24 times in the past twelve years and charged with 14 felonies. That does not include Thursday's new domestic violence charges. The CPD says has also been charged with leading police on chases and reckless driving ten times since 2016.

The Cheektowaga Police Chief talked with 2 On Your Side about a police chase Sawyer is accused of starting last month.

"We did terminate the pursuit due to our policy for public safety, but we did apply for a warrant for him, so he was somebody who was already on our radar that we were trying to bring off the streets. Tragically, this incident happened before we were able to find him, but thankfully, through the collaboration of our department with the Buffalo Police Department and just three great witnesses getting involved in this case, we were able to make an arrest on this incident in less than three hours and get this dangerous individual off the streets," says Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould. 

2 On Your Side also asked attorney Barry Covert about what it means now that there are four active cases against Sawyer.

"It's a very difficult situation, there are a lot of charges here, and in relation to any one of the felony offenses, he could be looking at a lot of jail time, so it will be complicated for this young man and his lawyers to try to work his way through the system in relation to all these charges to avoid a hefty jail sentence," says Barry Covert.

In the domestic violence case, Sawyer faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. Covert says for one of the charges related to the attempted purse snatching, Sawyer could get up to 25 years in prison if convicted. 

Sawyer is being held on $100,000 bond in the domestic violence case. For the attempted purse snatching, he's being held on $200,000 bond.

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