2 Fleeing FBI Crash Into Agents' Car In Westchester

YONKERS, NY — Two brothers who prosecutors say led police and FBI agends on a dangerous high-speed car chase through Yonkers on Friday have been hit with federal criminal charges. The incident began because one of them was running away from probation officers, said Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Harry Quintana-Cruz and Alejandro Ortiz-Cruz were accused of forcibly assaulting, resisting, and interfering with FBI Special Agents. Quintana-Cruz, a convicted felon, was also accused of being in possession of a firearm after a gun was found in his apartment.

On June 1, Quintana-Cruz ran away from U.S. probation officers who tried to meet with him regarding non-compliance with the terms of his supervised release. He arranged for his brother, Ortiz-Cruz, to pick him up in a car, prosecutors alleged.

A high-speed police chase ensued with Ortiz-Cruz at the wheel, police said. During the pursuit, he drove through red lights, sped in the wrong direction on one-way streets, and failed to stop at “Stop” signs. At one point, the vehicle approached two law enforcement cars blocking an intersection, one of which was an FBI car. Instead of slowing down, he rammed into the FBI car and continued driving for a few more blocks before finally stopping as a result of another collision.

Berman, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Charles Gardner, the Commissioner of the Yonkers Police Department, made the announcement jointly. They said both were to be presented Tuesday in White Plains federal court before the Honorable Judith C. McCarthy.

“This incident highlights both the dangers our law enforcement officers face every day, and the shared commitment the Yonkers Police Department has with our local and Federal partners in apprehending those individuals who dare to commit acts of violence in our communities," Gardner said in the announcement. "I applaud our officers, the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, and the U.S. Probation Office for their exceptional efforts in making these arrests.”

In addition to being charged with assaulting the officers effecting his arrest, Quintana-Cruz was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm after a Springfield Armory .40 caliber pistol was found in an apartment where he resided. The investigation is continuing.

Both Quintana-Cruz, 26, and Ortiz-Cruz, 18, of Yonkers, are charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, and interfering with their arresting officers, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Quintana-Cruz is also charged with one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress. Any sentencing will be determined by the judge.

Berman praised the outstanding work of the U.S. Probation Office, the Yonkers Police Department, and the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises agents and task force officers from the FBI, the U.S. Probation Office, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the New York City Police Department, the Yonkers Police Department, the Peekskill Police Department, the Greenburgh Police Department, the Mount Vernon Police Department, and the New York State Police Department.

Berman thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the arrest and apprehension of the defendants.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney Sam Adelsberg is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.