HARTFORD MAN WHO RAN DOWN PORT AUTHORITY DETECTIVE PLEADS GUILTY; TO BE SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a 33 year old Hartford man pleaded guilty today to assaulting a Port Authority Detective by running him over with his car at JFK Airport in July 1999.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Tony Wilson of 360 Laurel Street, Hartford, Connecticut. He pleaded guilty today before Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter to assault in the first degree and criminal possession of marijuana. Justice Buchter indicated that he would sentence the defendant to a term of 18 years in prison when he imposes sentence on February 13.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant pleaded guilty to running down Det. Stephenson as he tried to stop him from fleeing the airport where he had just met an accomplice from whom he had received a large shipment of marijuana.”

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 the defendant and his accomplice claim two bags and place them in a tan Mazda. The accomplice, Niko Niko, 32, of Gardenia, California, 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 very serious injury. One hundred and twenty pounds of marijuana with a street value of approximately $320,000 were recovered. Detective Stephenson spent many weeks in the hospital and has still not fully recovered from his injuries.

Wilson fled to Connecticut. He later waived formal extradition proceedings in Hartford and agreed to return to New York. The defendant Niko previously pleaded guilty to criminal possession of marijuana and conspiracy and is awaiting sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Duddy of District Attorney Brown’s Trial Division was in charge of the prosecution.