Antonio Olmeda was convicted on two counts of attempted murder for shooting at two cops in Jackson Heights in 2011. NYPD
July 2, 2025 By Bill Parry
A Manhattan man was convicted of two counts of attempted murder and other related crimes for shooting at two police officers, who had attempted to question him after spotting him on a Jackson Heights street corner wearing a disguise.
Antonio Olmeda, 66, of Fifth Avenue, was convicted by a jury after they deliberated for just ten minutes before reaching a verdict on June 27.
It was the second time Olmeda was convicted in the case. Due to a procedural issue involving the defendant’s sentence on a federal matter, the state judge was unable to honor Olmeda’s original plea of guilty in July 2016, and the case was returned to Queens Supreme Court for trial.
According to the charges, on December 11, 2011, NYPD officers Stephen Danisi and Matthew Ferrara were on foot patrol in front of 37-55 76th St. in Jackson Heights when they were approached by a civilian who alerted them about a suspicious man wearing a long trench coat, fedora, eyeglasses and a fake beard and mustache.
When the cops saw Olmeda, he had his hands in his pockets, and they asked him to show his hands. When Olmeda refused to comply, Officer Danisi placed his hands on Olmeda’s back and felt that he was wearing a bulletproof vest under the trench coat.
Olmeda freed himself from the officer’s hand, stepped away from the two cops, then turned around, pulling out a .38-caliber Taurus revolver and firing three rounds in the direction of the officers. One round penetrated the window of a nearby pediatric dentist’s office.
As Olmeda fled, he ditched the fedora, fake mustache, beard, and eyeglasses, which were all recovered and swabbed for DNA. The DNA matched a sample on file in the New York State DNA Index System from Olmeda’s previous weapons possession conviction.
On December 19, 2011, Olmeda was apprehended as he tried to enter his vehicle parked on East 16th Street in Manhattan. A .38-caliber revolver with two live rounds of ammunition and three spent shell casings was recovered from his car.
“The defendant shot at two New York City police officers at close range after they asked him to remove his hands from his pockets,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Thankfully, neither officer was injured, but lives were placed in danger as a bullet went through a window at a nearby pediatric dentist’s office.”
Olmeda was additionally charged with attempted aggravated assault of a police officer and attempted assault in the first degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder indicated that he will sentence Olmeda on July 15, at which time the defendant faces up to 80 years to life in prison.
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