July 14, 1999

HARTFORD MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY RAN DOWN PORT AUTHORITY DETECTIVE RETURNED FROM CONNECTICUT TO FACE ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the arraignment in Criminal Court, Kew Gardens, of a 32 year old Hartford man who was returned yesterday from Connecticut to face charges in connection with the attempted murder of Port Authority Detective Philip Stephenson at JFK Airport earlier this month.

District Attorney Brown said, "The defendant is charged with intentionally running down Det. Stephenson as he tried to stop him from fleeing the airport where he had just met his alleged accomplice, Niko Niko, 31, of Gardenia, California, and had received from her a large shipment of marijuana. Detective Stephenson is still hospitalized in very serious condition."

According to the charges, on July 2, 1999 airport workers at the Tower Air terminal at JFK Airport noticed that a suitcase on the ramp from an arriving California flight smelled of marijuana. Port Authority Detectives Philip Stephenson and Chris Eng responded to the area and observed Ms. Niko with the Hartford man, Tony Wilson, as they claimed two bags and placed them in a tan Mazda. Niko thereafter picked up a third bag and returned to the parking lot and entered a taxi. Detective Eng arrested Niko and when Detective Stephenson attempted to apprehend Wilson, Wilson ran him down with his car causing him grave injury. One hundred and twenty pound of marijuana with a street value of approximately $320,000 was recovered.

Wilson waived formal extradition proceedings on Tuesday in Hartford and agreed to return to New York in the custody of Port Authority police detectives. He was arraigned this afternoon before Criminal Court Judge Steven W. Paynter and held without bail on charges of attempted murder of a police officer in the 1st and 2nd degrees, criminal possession of marijuana in the 1st degree and criminal conspiracy in the 4th degree. If convicted of the attempted murder the defendant faces up to life in prison.

Ms. Niko has been charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the 1st degree and criminal conspiracy in the 4th degree and is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Assistant District Attorney Patricia Malloy of District Attorney Brown's Homicide Investigations Bureau is prosecuting the case. The Homicide Investigations Bureau is under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Peter T. Reese and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Gregory L. Lasak.

It is to be noted that a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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