A Schenectady man was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly firing 19 shots from an automatic rifle on Manhattan Street, near the bike path.
The incident happened around 8:30 p.m. near the dead end of Manhattan Street. Witnesses said they saw a man firing an assault rifle, and a burst of automatic weapon fire was audible a quarter-mile away on Maxon Road Extension.
Officers responded to the area and found a suspect matching the description given by witnesses, according to police spokesman Lt. Mark McCracken. A brief foot chase occurred, police said, and the suspect ran into a house at 444-446 Manhattan St.
That house was locked down, police said, and Luis J. Gomez, 30, of 1513 Van Vranken Ave., was detained for questioning and later charged with felony reckless endangerment. Gomez allegedly fired a Romarm/Cugir 7.62×39 rifle, a variant of the AK-47.
McCracken said he did not know what the suspect’s intended target was, nor his motive, but said there were no injuries.
Newspaper records show that Gomez was arrested in November 2011 by Saratoga Springs police and charged with two counts of criminal possession of marijuana. Gomez faced a similar drug charge in 2007 in Schenectady. The disposition of those cases could not be determined.
Also arrested Wednesday night was 59-year-old Eileen L. Black of 428 Manhattan St., on a misdemeanor count of obstructing governmental administration and misdemeanor and violation-level counts of harassment. Black allegedly crossed the crime scene tape at 444-446 Manhattan St., diverting officers’ attention from the scene, then pushed away from officers attempting to handcuff her.
Categories: Uncategorized
