Man Who Said Cops Beat Him Pleads Guilty to Petty Larceny: Report

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — A man who was allegedly assaulted after he fled from Suffolk police trying to stop him in a stolen car has pleaded guilty to petit larceny, according to a report in Newsday.

Christopher Cruz, 30, of Long Beach pleaded guilty before Suffolk District Court Judge Richard Dunne admitting he got inside a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had been parked on Oakland Avenue in Port Jefferson Station on Feb. 23, and drove off in it without the owner’s permission, the outlet reported.

He was sentenced to time served, Newsday reported.

Stephanie Giancristofaro, his Legal Aid Society attorney, declined to comment, according to the report.

Prosecutors from District Attorney Tim Sini's office decided not to pursue charges of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, and resisting arrest against Cruz back in June, but he still faces a charge of grand larceny, as well as a third-degree criminal mischief charge for the Feb. 23 incident in which he allegedly rammed a stolen Jeep into a police cruiser, according to Newsday.

Police initially said he stole the Jeep from a Port Jefferson home and then led officers on a chase from Coram into Mount Sinai.

Cruz was caught with stolen car keys and prescription medication in Glen Cove a couple of days before the crash, but he was released under the new bail reform law, Glen Cove police said at the time.

Two Suffolk police officers were suspended without pay in March after a body camera video showed them kicking Cruz, and three other officers and a supervisor were also placed on modified duty after they did not intervene, said Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart at the time.

Cruz stole a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee from a home at 11:40 p.m. Feb. 23, and he rammed it into a police officer, injuring him before driving off, police said back in February. As Cruz fled, a chase ensued, and he lost control of the Jeep, crashing it into a snowbank in Mount Sinai, police said.
He rammed the Jeep into a second police car before hitting another snowbank and coming to a stop at 12:15 a.m. Feb. 24, and another officer was injured as Cruz was being taken into custody, police said.

As Cruz stood handcuffed, a 6th Precinct police officer pushed Cruz forward from behind and kicked the back of his leg, body camera footage showed, and the officer who pushed Cruz, as well as another officer, kicked Cruz multiple times while he was on the ground, according to Hart. In addition, three officers and a supervisor also responded, but they did not stop the two who were kicking Cruz, Hart said.

Police Benevolent Association President Noel DiGerolamo said the matter is an open investigation and declined to comment any further for Newsday.

Cruz has filed a notice of claim placing Suffolk County on notice of his intention to file a lawsuit.

Michael DeSantis contributed additional reporting to this story.