CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — Erie County District Attorney John Flynn and Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould held a press conference on Friday to announce an indictment in the case involving a hit-and-run of a Cheektowaga Police officer.
Cheektowaga Police arrested a 17-year-old suspect on Thursday. He was arraigned that same day on nine felony charges.
Charges against the suspect are:
- Aggravated attempted murder in the second degree
- Aggravated assault against a police officer
- Two counts assault in the first degree
- One count of assault of a peace officer
- One count of grand larceny
- One count of criminal possession of stolen property
- One count of reckless endangerment
- One count of unlawful fleeing from a police officer
“The allegation is that the defendant saw the [Cheektowaga] police officer, and literally ran right into him and struck him,” Flynn said.
The suspect is in youth part of NY Supreme Court, because of the injury to the officer, Flynn said this case would not be moved to family court.
The DA's office was not able to pursue aggravated attempted murder in the first degree because the suspect is a minor.
In February, Officer Troy Blackchief, 45, was part of a larger response for Cheektowaga and Depew Police, who were responding to reports of stolen vehicles around 4:30 a.m.
Flynn reported that the suspect along with five others allegedly went out that day to steal cars and the defendant allegedly stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The keys to the Jeep were left in the car, according to Flynn.
During that chase, Blackchief attempted to deploy stop sticks when he was hit by the stolen vehicle. Since then, Blackchief has undergone surgery.
In March, the Cheektowaga Police released an update with a letter from his family. Blackchief traveled to a rehabilitation facility in Chicago and after that, he will come back to WNY to have a cranioplasty.
Police said the alleged suspect's vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee with New York license plate KKS5300 was located on Nicholson Street in the City of Buffalo. It was towed to the Cheektowaga Police Department for processing by crime scene investigators.