Post by WaTcHeR on Apr 11, 2006 13:26:16 GMT -5
04/11/2006 - On Staten Island this morning, a retired New York City police officer is under arrest. Investigators say he killed a retired Port Authority officer in a case of road rage.
Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi is live in the Heartland Village section of Staten Island with the latest.
Retired police officer Allen Lau is under psychiatric evaluation at Staten Island University North this morning after holding police at bay for hours while barricaded in his house in New Springville.
Investigators say it all began when Lau shot to death a retired Port Authority police officer after a road rage incident yesterday evening.
Retired NYPD police officer Allen Lau, is the man police say gunned down retired Port Authority police officer Steve Vitale..
Police say 55-year-old Vitale was driving in his SUV with his wife to pick up Chinese food at a restaurant on Richmond Hill Road.
Lau, apparently upset Vitale was driving too slow, tailgated the couple to the restaurant and shot at them as they got out of their vehicle.
"So when we went down there we saw a guy laying down on the floor ... tried to give him CPR and put some jackets on him. That was it," the eyewitness said.
Vitale, who once headed the Port Authority police K9 unit, was struck four times. Another bullet hit the family dog that was in the car.
Lau fled the scene but police quickly tracked him to his home.
The 46-year-old barricaded himself inside for almost eight hours, forcing the evacuation of his neighbor's homes. After a nearly eight hour stand-off police were able to talk the divorced father of two out of his home.
Steve Vitale's wife was not injured in the shooting and the couple's dog was treated at a nearby vet clinic.
Lau, who retired from Manhattan's 17th precinct in February of last year, faces murder charges.
Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi is live in the Heartland Village section of Staten Island with the latest.
Retired police officer Allen Lau is under psychiatric evaluation at Staten Island University North this morning after holding police at bay for hours while barricaded in his house in New Springville.
Investigators say it all began when Lau shot to death a retired Port Authority police officer after a road rage incident yesterday evening.
Retired NYPD police officer Allen Lau, is the man police say gunned down retired Port Authority police officer Steve Vitale..
Police say 55-year-old Vitale was driving in his SUV with his wife to pick up Chinese food at a restaurant on Richmond Hill Road.
Lau, apparently upset Vitale was driving too slow, tailgated the couple to the restaurant and shot at them as they got out of their vehicle.
"So when we went down there we saw a guy laying down on the floor ... tried to give him CPR and put some jackets on him. That was it," the eyewitness said.
Vitale, who once headed the Port Authority police K9 unit, was struck four times. Another bullet hit the family dog that was in the car.
Lau fled the scene but police quickly tracked him to his home.
The 46-year-old barricaded himself inside for almost eight hours, forcing the evacuation of his neighbor's homes. After a nearly eight hour stand-off police were able to talk the divorced father of two out of his home.
Steve Vitale's wife was not injured in the shooting and the couple's dog was treated at a nearby vet clinic.
Lau, who retired from Manhattan's 17th precinct in February of last year, faces murder charges.