Cirellas
Suffolk County, NY (77WABC)-A Shirley man is held at the second precinct awaiting arraignment Thursday after police say he held up two people at gunpoint demanding their vehicle around 12:45 am Wednesday morning in the parking lot of Cirella’s Restaurant in Melville.
The driver and passenger of a 2005 BMW X3 were left unharmed as 21-year-old Jahmohri Mitchell of 11 Mastic Blvd. fled with their vehicle, according to police.
Officers from the fifth precinct spotted the stolen vehicle on Long Island Avenue in Medford a little more than a half-hour later. Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over but said Mitchell refused to stop. Officers deployed “stop sticks” on Mill Road which forced Mitchell to stop. He abandoned the vehicle on foot. Multiple officers chased him taking Mitchell into custody at 1:32 a.m.
The manufacturers of stop stick claim on their website that the device is the world’s leading tire-deflation device for high-speed pursuits. They say proper deployment occurs well ahead of an approaching target vehicle, with officers a safe distance from the “hit,” yet in control of the device position the stop tick using the attached cord reel. Teflon®-coated quills penetrate the tire and act as valves, releasing the air at a safe, controlled rate.
Mitchell faces a long list of charges; Robbery 1st Degree, Robbery 2nd Degree, Criminal Use of a Firearm 1st Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree, Fleeing an Officer in a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree, and Resisting Arrest.
Arraignment is scheduled in Central Islip.
