Police arrest Queens man with 2 axes, whip and NYPD vest, officials say

Bahar Ostadan

Published Jun 12, 2024

Modified Jun 12, 2024

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It was not clear how the man acquired items with MTA and NYPD logos on them, police said.

Courtesy NYPD

Bahar Ostadan

Published Jun 12, 2024

Modified Jun 12, 2024

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Police on Wednesday arrested a Queens man who was brandishing a gun, two axes, several knives and — mysteriously — an NYPD vest, officials said.

Around 1:30 a.m., one sergeant and three officers were patrolling the East Elmhurst neighborhood in an unmarked car and pulled over a black Ford Explorer with a blacked-out license plate, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey told reporters during a press briefing.

What they found was in some ways standard for a weapons bust — a 9mm handgun, several knives, nine loaded magazines — and in other ways not, according to Maddrey. The recovered items included an NYPD vest, two axes, heavy body armor, a weighted whip, handcuffs, an expandable baton, a New York City Transit vest and a mask made famous in the movie “V for Vendetta."

It was not clear how the man acquired items bearing MTA and NYPD logos, police said.

“NYPD paraphernalia in the car was significant,” Maddrey said.

Police said they arrested Judd Sanson, a 27-year-old Queens resident, and were still investigating the crime. They charged him with several counts of weapons possession and obscuring his license plate. Attorney information for Sanson was not immediately available on Wednesday.

The arrest took place at 86th Street, not far from where a 19-year-old man shot and injured two police officers earlier this month, the NYPD said.

Correction: A previous version of this story named an incorrect neighborhood for where the arrest took place. The incident was in East Elmhurst, according to police.

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queens

public safety