Falls police patrols getting backup from sheriff's office
Jun. 15—The increased law enforcement presence on the streets of the Falls was apparent as soon as the sun began to set on Friday.
Falls patrol cars zipped through neighborhoods, but they weren't alone. Multiple marked Niagara County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicles were also present throughout the city.
"This is part of a sustained saturation patrol effort that we'll be having in conjunction with Falls police," Sheriff Michael Filicetti said on Monday. "In cooperation with Falls Police Superintendent John Faso, we'll have an increased marked sheriff's office patrol presence in the city for the foreseeable future."
Filicetti said he and Faso have both been alarmed by recent increases in violent crime in the city. The spike in crime seems to be following a nationwide trend that has no sign of slowing.
"Anything that happens in the Falls can, potentially, spread out into the towns that we traditionally patrol," Filicetti said. "This is something I've worked with Chief Faso on to get our hands around the spike in violent criminal activity."
The enhanced patrols encountered that violence first-hand when officers and deputies responded to the Coastal gas station and mini-mart, 601 19th St., around 2:15 a.m. Saturday for a report of a woman shot. At the scene, the officers and deputies found a 32-year-old Falls woman who had been shot in the buttocks and was bleeding heavily.
The victim was taken to the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo where she underwent surgery. She was listed in stable condition on Saturday morning.
Witnesses reported that a male suspect had fired several rounds toward the gas station and mini-mart from the 400 block alleyway off Walnut Avenue between 19th and 20th streets. Crime Scene Unit detective recovered nine bullet casings from the alleyway.
The entire incident was reportedly captured on video by security cameras at the mini-mart.
Detectives said they also determined that a man who was with the victim had retrieved his own handgun and returned fire at the suspect.
Police recovered that handgun and took Anthony Hill, 31, of the Falls, into custody. Hill was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Investigators said Hill's gun had been reported stolen from Ohio.
Hill was arraigned on the charges Monday morning and is being held on a parole detainer.
Over the course of the weekend, the enhanced patrols also investigated a shooting in a parking lot at the corner of Pine Avenue and Portage Road at about 10:50 p.m. Saturday. A male victim was struck by a single bullet that appeared to have been fired from the area near Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
Around 7 p.m. Saturday, the patrols were involved in a chase of a stolen car that began in the Falls, traveled to Lockport and finally ended in Cambria.
Falls police had attempted to stop the vehicle, that had been reported "freshly stolen", but the driver continued to speed away. The chase went through the towns of Niagara, Lewiston and Cambria before being called off because of the speed and recklessness of the driver of the stolen car.
As officers and deputies followed the vehicle from a distance, it entered the Town of Lockport and then re-entered the town of Cambria. Sheriff's deputies deployed a spike strip in the 3800 block of Saunders Settlement Road and disabled the vehicle.
The suspect in the car, identified as John Malicoat, 46, of the Falls, was taken into custody after a brief struggle. One sheriff's deputy suffered a minor injury during the fight with Malicoat.
"That's very concerning," Filicetti said of the chase and arrest. "Chases are always concerning, but criminals don't always stop."
The sheriff said he and Faso are also discussing "other options" for "cooperative actions" to address increasing criminal activity.
