FLUSHING PAYROLL ROBBER SENTENCED TO 62 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER IN AMBUSH ROBBERY OF OFF-DUTY DETECTIVE AND RETIRED POLICE OFFICER; ALREADY SERVING 12 YEARS TO LIFE SENTENCE ON WEAPONS CHARGES INVOLVING SAME INCIDENT

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a Jamaica man has been sentenced to sixty-two years to life in prison for the May 1997 attempted murder and ambush robbery of an off-duty New York City Police Detective and a retired Police Officer who were delivering a payroll to a Flushing business.

District Attorney Brown said, "This was a brazen and violent robbery in which off-duty Detective Arthur Pettus and retired Police Officer Joseph Bellone were ambushed in broad daylight as they were making a payroll delivery. Officer Bellone was shot thirteen times and Detective Pettus was shot as many as seven times. It is a miracle that they survived. The lengthy prison sentence imposed upon the defendant is just punishment."

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Robert Majors, 36, of 155-01 90th Avenue, Jamaica, Queens, who was convicted on November 9, 2001 following a non-jury trial before Supreme Court Justice John B. Latella, Jr. An earlier guilty verdict involving Majors had been partially set aside based upon allegations of juror misconduct, although his conviction on weapons charges arising from the same incident for which he is presently serving a sentence of twelve years to life, was permitted to stand.

Two additional defendants in the case were convicted in separate trials and are presently serving lengthy prison sentences. District Attorney Brown identified them as Aaron Boone, 30, of 53-18 Junction Boulevard who was convicted of attempted murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property in March 2000 and is currently serving a term of eighty-six years in prison and Bernard Johnson, 28, of 2766 University Avenue in the Bronx who was convicted of robbery in September 1999 for his role in the violent crime. He is currently serving forty years in state prison.

According to trial testimony, on the morning of May 9, 1997, the two police officers, who were working for a private security firm, were delivering approximately $80,000 in payroll monies to Positive Promotions, a printing firm located at 168th Street and Station Road in Flushing, when they were attacked, shot and seriously wounded and robbed. Trial testimony revealed that as the officers pulled up to the location in an armored vehicle they were ambushed by the defendants who were lying in wait in a van parked on Station Road. The defendants confronted the officers firing a total of forty-eight shots, grabbed a bag containing the cash and fled, leaving the two officers seriously wounded on the sidewalk. Defendants Majors and Boone were arrested the following day, while defendant Johnson was arrested on May 21.

Assistant District Attorney James W. Evangelou, Chief of the District Attorney's Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Andrea M. Eckhardt of that bureau, which is under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District for Trials Attorney James C. Quinn, prosecuted the case.