Man Accused Of Dragging Mt Vernon Officer Found At CT Hospital

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A suspect has been arrested following Thursday’s manhunt in Mount Vernon, in which a police officer was hit and dragged by a man driving a stolen vehicle, city officials said.

Howard Rowlett, 24, of 507 Mundy Lane, Mount Vernon was arrested at Stamford Hospital Thursday evening while he sought medical treatment, city officials said. Stamford Police alerted Mount Vernon police that a person fitting the description of the suspect was at the hospital.

Mount Vernon police are in the process of having Rowlett extradited to Mount Vernon once he is released from Stamford Hospital, officials said.

At 2 p.m. on Thursday, detectives from the Mount Vernon Police Department were investigating a report that a vehicle stolen from Mount Vernon had struck a Westchester County Police vehicle earlier in the day during an attempted traffic stop.

Police located the stolen car, a black BMW with Pennsylvania plates, near the Mount Vernon-Bronx border.

As two Mount Vernon officers approached it, the driver plowed the car into one of them, dragging him a short distance, officials said. The suspect crashed into a parked car nearby and then got out and ran away.

The area was searched with the assistance of K-9 units from the New York Police Department and Westchester County Police with no immediate results.

Both Mount Vernon Police officers were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, where they were treated and later released.

Police are still looking into a report that there was a female passenger in the vehicle at the time of the incident. At this time the report has not been confirmed, but the investigation is continuing.

Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Shawn Harris said in an announcement about the incident that the arrest was the result of great cooperation and coordination among all the agencies involved – the NYPD, Westchester County PD, Stamford PD, and the Mount Vernon PD. “Fighting crime is a team effort and I want to thank all our partners for sharing resources and working collaboratively.”

Mayor Richard Thomas also expressed thanks to all involved. “The men and women of our police department put their lives on the line every day they go to work,” he said. “Blessedly, our two officers are ok. On behalf of all the residents of Mount Vernon, I want to thank all the members of law enforcement, as well as the staff of Stamford Hospital for their efforts. You keep us safe and we greatly appreciate it.”

Chief Richton Ziadie said, “The Mount Vernon Police Department will not tolerate these senseless acts of violence and disregard for the law in our city. The men and women of the Mount Vernon Police Department continue to work vigorously and diligently to bring to justice to anyone committing these types of crimes.”

Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to contact the Mount Vernon Police Department Detective Division at 914-665-2510 or send an anonymous text message to (Text-a-Tip) by texting “MVPD” and your tip to 847411.

image via Shutterstock

Get real time Mount Vernon Patch news alerts and our free daily newsletter; and visit us on Facebook.