Violent thugs who brutally beat off-duty veteran NYPD cop wanted in 19 robberies

A veteran police. who is fighting for his life after he was violently mugged on Tuesday during his morning jog in the Bronx, was carried out by a suspected three-man crew that allegedly robbed five other people that night and a total of 19 this month.

Tuesday’s spree began shortly after midnight when they allegedly carjacked a livery driver’s Honda at gunpoint, police sources said. 

Police sources tell DailyMail.com that the same Honda was used for the attack on the officer, an 18-year veteran assigned to the Central Park precinct who was running through the Soundview district at 10:50 a.m.

Officer Muhammad Chowdhury was repeatedly struck in the head before the men stole his cellphone, car keys and wallet, was discovered lying on the sidewalk bleeding from his ear on Olmstead Avenue, between Lafayette and Turnbull Avenues.

The officer was taken to Jacobi hospital and diagnosed with a fractured skull and bleeding from the brain.

His skull was cracked during the robbery and he has recently been taken off a respirator and can talk. 

A bystander told police that the man – who had no ID on him and was not immediately recognized as a member of the NYPD – had been attacked by three black men, who then sped away in a black Honda Accord.

Sources said it’s believed to be the same 2016 Honda that was stolen at 12:40am on Tuesday, outside De Kruif Place in Co-Op City in the Bronx. The 52-year-old livery driver was answering a service call when two men entered his car, one flashing a gun and ordering him to exit. 

Another vehicle pulled up and blocked him in, then a third armed man appeared. The assailants stole his cell phones, credit cards, $500 cash and a watch before driving off.

Six hours later, the trio allegedly attacked their next victim. At 6:45am, at the corner of Barnes Avenue and Pelham Parkway South in the Bronx, a 39-year-old man was approached by three individuals in a black Honda sedan. One held the victim from behind, while another punched him in the face. A third man stole his wallet, containing ID, a debit car and $150.

Less than an hour later, a 55-year-old man was mugged elsewhere in the Bronx by three men on Watson Avenue, one displaying a knife while another pummeled the victim. They stole his wallet and $25, then fled in the black Honda.

Minutes later, there were two apparently linked robberies outside the same building on Quimby Avenue. A 36-year-old man was slashed in the elbow as a trio stole his wallet and $40. Meanwhile, a 32-year-old woman had her purse stolen at knifepoint. The perpetrators fled in the black Honda.

It was three hours later that they allegedly attacked the officer in the Soundview district. They fled westbound on Turnbull Avenue.

The officer was unable to stand or speak when he was found.

Mayor Eric Adams visited the hospital on Tuesday night.

The spree began August 1 when a group of men in a Toyota Rav4 pulled alongside a 35-year-old man on Lurting Avenue in the Bronx, flashed a knife, punched the victim in the eye then drove off in his Hyundai Sonata.

They struck again on August 5 around 1am near Caesar Place and Olmstead Avenue. They approached a 26and a 31-year-old males. They demanded the man give them property before punching them both in the head, the NYPD said. They then removed $200 in cash from the 26-year-old. 

Both victims sustained minor injuries, but did not seek medical attention.  

They hit again around 5pm on Morgan Avenue, attacking a 51-year-old male inside a BMW. 

They approached the BMW man with two firearms and and removed him from his car and took his phone before fleeing. 

The ruthless group attacked twice on August 7, on Latting Street and Baychester Avenue. The first incident took place around 10pm, where they attacked a 58-year-old male inside a Mercedes-Benz. They approached him with a gun and he refused to leave his car, driving away. 

Just 30 minutes later, they were spotting again carjacking a 44-year-old male in a BMW, telling him: ‘We need the car, we need the car.’ 

Their biggest crime day came on August 8, starting shortly before 5pm and going until 11.30pm and they attacked five people. 

Shortly before 5pm, the three boys cutoff a 51-year-old male and stole his phone and punched him in the head. They fled westbound on 115 Road toward Farmers Boulevard. 

The victim had a head injury but refused medical attention.   

They struck again 30 minutes later on Dormans Road and Newburg Street. This time this victim, 43, was sitting inside his Mercedes-Benz when two of the boys approached him with firearms and told him to get out of his car. He refused and drove away and the boys fled westbound on Dormans Road. 

Approximately 10 minutes after that, they carjacked a 69-year-old man’s Toyota Highlander and fled with his vehicle on the corner of Foch Boulevard and Merrick Boulevard. 

Around 10pm, they were seen on Westchester Avenue, they went for a 37-year-old male who had just parked his 2022 Mercedes-Benz at a nearby store. While the man was in the store, they hit up the car, where a 31-year-old female passenger was sitting. 

They opened the driver’s side door and threatened her with a gun and demanded she leave the vehicle. She exited the car while they took off with it down Commonwealth Avenue. The vehicle was later recovered near Castle Hill Avenue and East Tremont Avenue. 

An hour and a half later, they struck for the final time that day on Lydig Avenue. Two 29-year-old men was driving a 2020 Mercedes-Benz and a 2022 Honda Civic when they parked their cars next to each other. Shortly after, the three boys exited a Toyota Rav4 and threatened them with guns before forcibly removing both men from their cars and fleeing down Lydig. 

The boys seem to have slept later the following day, August 9, as their crime spree didn’t pick until 9.30pm on Astor Avenue. A male victim was removing items from his Mercedes-Benz when two of the boys threatened him with guns and the victim fled for his safety. 

The boy became to chase the victim and pushed him to the ground before forcibly removing his the car key and stealing the vehicle. 

The victim sustained a shoulder injury and was transported to NYC Health + Hospital at Lincoln.  

Nearly all of the robberies took place in the Bronx, with the perpetrators in several instances attempting to force drivers out of their luxury cars, including a BMW and Mercedes, and stealing their belongings.

The spree comes as the Big Apple is experiencing a spike in crime. Citywide, reported robberies are up 39 percent and crime overall 36 percent through August 21, according to the latest NYPD statistics. In the Bronx, robberies have spiked 43 percent, and crime is up 31 percent through August 21.