Lake Success police officers T.J. Fernandez, Jon Cancel and Tom Walter didn’t call upon any special training when they sprang into action.
Instead, the trio of officers followed protocol and played an important role in securing the apprehension of four Brooklyn men accused of robbing London Jewelers on Northern Boulevard two weeks ago.
Led by the Lake Success Police Department, Leroy Nelson, 27, Javon Gamble, 31, Reggie Fowler, 23, and Samuel Cephas, 30, were arrested on Oct. 14 after they led authorities from several law enforcement agencies on a wild chase, which ultimately ended without any injuries at the Lake Success Country Club.
The officers’ actions ensured an orderly conclusion to an otherwise exciting day for local police departments. They will be presented with accommodations from Village of Lake Success Mayor Ronald Cooper as part of the village’s Nov. 14 Board of Trustees meeting.
“They’re highly professional officers,” Cooper said. “The whole department is highly professional. They followed protocol and they performed admirably. We wanted to recognize them at a board meeting for what they did.”
Nelson, Gamble, Fowler and an unknown black male entered London Jewelers clad in blue jumpsuits with black bandanas covering their faces and announced a robbery, according to a Nassau County Police Department press release.
After two of the subjects then produced hand guns, the third used a hammer to smash several display cases, while another of the suspects removed numerous Rolex and Breitling watches.
The police said that when the four then left the jewelry store, they were picked up by Cephas in a black Cadillac Escalade, who led police officers from Nassau County’s 6th Precinct on a chase, which began on Northern Boulevard. Upon turning onto a westbound lane of the Long Island Expressway, the four suspects fled their vehicle due to heavy traffic and were then apprehended on the Lake Success Country Club golf course.
“It was a pretty exciting day,” Lake Success Police Chief William Lang said. “It was the quick thinking and the action of our units that actually led to the suspects being apprehended.”
With the men already fleeing, it was Fernandez who coordinated Lake Success officers to set up a road block, which helped cause the suspects to flee their vehicle. Walter and Cancel pursued the men and assisted officers from several Nassau County police precincts and the New York City Police Department in arresting the suspects. The officers also recovered one of the hand guns used in the robbery, according to police reports.
“It is pretty rare,” Lang said of the robbery. “The training and everything is just for moments like that. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen too often, but they handled themselves very well.
“I’m very proud of the, first of all, quick decisions,” he added. “They were on top of the situation.”
The defendants were all charged with first-degree robbery and criminal use of a firearm. Additionally, Cephas was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and unlawful fleeing of a police officer. They were arraigned on Oct. 15 at the 1st District Court in Hempstead.
Of the 13 employees and one customer present during the robbery, none were injured.
“It worked out very well,” Lang said. “The city, Nassau County, everyone, coordinated efforts and it was excellent. Everybody worked together.”
And that was something, which might not have occurred without the efforts of the Lake Success officers.
“This was an extraordinary happening,” Cooper said. “With all the media exposure, we felt the guys deserved some recognition.”
