62nd Precinct cops honored for top-notch police work
Two police officers were honored at the 62nd Precincts community council meeting on April 17 as Cops of the Month for not only solving a crime, but saving an overdose victim.
The afternoon of Monday, April 2, Police Officer Michael Lunetta and Police Officer Thomas Mercado received a call over the radio about a white male holding up a pharmacy at knifepoint, said Deputy Inspector James Rooney, commanding officer of the 62nd Precinct. The alleged perpetrator wasnt demanding any money, but a large amount of prescription painkillers. Before leaving the store, he ingested 50 pills that the pharmacist gave him.
Lunetta and Mercado interviewed pharmacy employees and got a description of the individual. They also learned that, based on the amount of prescription pills he had ingested, he would be dead in an hour without any assistance.