Charges Upgraded in Southern State Crash That Injured Cop

The Amityville man arrested in connection that seriously injured a Seventh Precinct officer will face more serious charges, the Nassau County District Attorney announced Wednesday.

Louie Blanton, 24, will now face felony charges of aggravated assault on a police officer and assault in the first degree. Blanton in connection with the crash on the Southern State Parkway which badly injured the 19-year-veteran officer.

The officer was pursuing two suspects in a chase that that began in the area of North Pine Street in North Massapequa.

A resident called 911 because there had been a series of burglaries in the area at the time, and one witness told cops they saw two men switching license plates on their vehicle.

The officer arrived in the neighborhood and followed that vehicle onto the Southern State, where police said the suspicious car began to make dangerous, evasive maneuvers.

At one point, the driver slammed on his brakes, causing the officer to swerve and hit a guard rail. The patrol car then bounced back into traffic where it was hit by another car, whose occupants weren't hurt. 

But the officer suffered a fractured spine, collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and fractures to her sternum, collarbone, shoulder blade, and nasal bone. She remains unable to work, according to the DA.

Blanton still faces charges of assault in the second degree fleeing a Police Officer in a motor vehicle in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the second degree, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a serious physical injury incident without reporting, stemming from the March Arrest.