The person taken into custody for allegedly taking pictures an off-duty NYPD officer is a profession prison who has been arrested within the metropolis over a dozen occasions — together with for strangulation and grand larceny — in line with police sources.
Randy “Popper” Jones was nabbed Monday after opening hearth on the officer and a relative after they got here for a phony automotive buy in East New York, Brooklyn, over the weekend, cops mentioned. The officer was left preventing for his life on the hospital.
It was the most recent outrage in an obvious lifetime of crime.
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Jones, 38, has a prolonged rap sheet courting again to his early 20s, in line with police sources. A lot of the arrests came about in Brooklyn, they mentioned.
In 2014, he was arrested for strangulation within the twenty fifth Precinct in East Harlem, the place he lives. That very same yr, he was busted on two counts of grand larceny and one rely of petit larceny.
Most not too long ago, he was charged with prison contempt and driving with no license in 2019, sources mentioned.
Jones’ first recognized arrests got here when he was about 23, for drug possession and prison trespass, in line with the sources.
After that, he racked up arrests on expenses together with misdemeanor assault and aggravated harassment, they mentioned.
On the time of the officer’s taking pictures, Jones was wished on a warrant for the 2019 case of driving with no license.
Hours earlier than he was taken into custody, the BMW he’s believed to have pushed from the taking pictures scene was found deserted on 129th St. and Park Ave. in Manhattan — just some blocks from his most up-to-date handle, cops and sources mentioned.
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When proven a photograph of the BMW, an individual who lives at Jones’ house constructing famous it was often parked outdoors.
Jones lived there along with his girlfriend and three kids, mentioned the person, who declined to present his title. The couple had not too long ago had a child woman, he added.
“I’d have by no means guessed it,” the shocked man mentioned of Jones. “He was by no means violent.”
Cops launched an intensive manhunt to catch the suspected shooter.
“The police have been right here all day tracing his actions kind the constructing video,” mentioned the neighbor. “We didn’t understand it was a cop,” he mentioned of the sufferer.
Jones was awaiting expenses at Brooklyn’s seventy fifth Precinct stationhouse as of Monday evening, cops and sources mentioned. Police have been nonetheless conducting their investigation at Jones’ house constructing.
