The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation has opened an investigation into the death of Brian Astarita, who died on November 11 at the hands of New York City Police officers in Brooklyn, the Attorney General’s Office announced on Sunday.
According to the prosecutor’s report, Brian Astarita, 65, a Brooklyn resident, hit a police vehicle that had stopped him for speeding on the highway Belt Parkway and kept driving.
Backup units caught up with him near the Bay Parkway exit. At that time, the Police pointed out that Astarita stopped her vehicle, near Cropsey Avenue Gravesend, and came out with a gun.
New York City Police Chief Rodney Harrison said he “approached an officer with the gun” and ignored warnings to stop. At that time, the report said, officers fired
The man was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg and later died, police sources said. The incident led to the closure of the highway and caused delays in both directions.
Police said a gun was recovered at the scene. A witness, who was in Astarita’s Jeep at the time, captured the deadly confrontation between him and police on cell phone video. More than a dozen shots were heard.
Astarita had a half-dozen previous arrests, cops said Friday.
His most recent arrest was for the aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, police officers confirmed to our sister network NBC. It was unclear exactly when that happened, nor the details about his other arrests.
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