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Video: Police Chase Into Crown Heights Church Sparks Outrage
By
John Del Signore
Published May 10, 2010
Modified May 10, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 10, 2010
Modified May 10, 2010
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Church leaders and Brooklyn politicians are irate after the NYPD chased a teenager into a Crown Heights Church Friday night. They say cops showed no respect for the sanctity of the Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Church when they barged in after the perp, 18-year-old Kendall Jones, who allegedly fled after cops caught him driving the wrong way down a one-way street in a stolen car.
"The police violated the sanctity of this house of worship," said Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Crown Heights) at a press conference yesterday. "The police conducted themselves as if they were raiding a crack house as opposed to being in a house of worship. This type of police behavior would not have occurred at St. Patrick's Cathedral." Jeffries was joined at the press conference by Councilwoman Letitia James and state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Flatbush).
Church Leader Peter Leonce tells the Daily News that more than 100 parishioners were celebrating services when cops burst in. "They were scared. Some of them were in a state of panic," says Leonce, who claims police ignored his offers to negotiate Jones's surrender and demanded an apology. But an NYPD spokesman says, "Police acted appropriately in apprehending as quickly as possible an individual who was endangering the public." And City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Astoria) shrugs off the complaints, quipping, "Sanctuary ended in the Middle Ages." (It appears he's right.)
Jones, a member of the church, was slapped with 11 charges, including grand larceny and reckless driving. His lawyer tells the Journal the vehicle belonged to the mother of one of Jones's friends, adding, "He was afraid of police. It was stupid and he shouldn't have done it. He was just scared." Below, enjoy video of the chase through the church; it's silent, so you'll want to play "Yakety Sax" simultaneously for the appropriate musical accompaniment.
Tagged
Crown Heights
nypd
sanctuary
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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