“When we arrived at the scene, the poor woman was sitting on a milk crate. We knew if we didn’t do anything, we wouldn’t be able to sleep at night…it was just the right thing to do,” said Officer Slavin.
When a 55-year-old robbery victim’s wheelchair was stolen, 68 Precinct officers went beyond the call of duty to help her after the crime. On April 17th, Police Officers Shohatee and Slavin responded to a 911 call at a grocery store on the corner of 74th Street and 5th Avenue. At the scene, they discovered that the victim was visiting her son from China and was forced to leave her wheelchair outside because the entrance to the store was too narrow. As the partially paralyzed woman was inside shopping, her wheelchair was stolen.
After reviewing the store’s video surveillance, the officers canvassed the area in search of the perpetrator. Although they were unable to locate the suspect, the officers knew they had to do more:
“I thought about my grandparents, who also have wheelchairs, so I know what it means for her to be without it. My partner and I knew what we had to do,” said Officer Slavin.
Without a second thought, the officers went to a nearby medical supply store and used their own money to purchase a new wheelchair for the victim. When they delivered the surprise, the unsuspecting woman was overwhelmed with gratitude. The 68 Precinct Detective Squad is further investigating the original robbery.
NYPD News
