Peekskill Resident Charged in Armed Robbery of Gas Station
Peekskill police charged a 19-year-old city male with robbing a gas station on North Division Street in the early morning hours of December 23.
According to police, Officer Steve Zappolo was on patrol at approximately 3:45 a.m. when he observed a suspicious male on a bicycle ride into the parking lot of the Shell station. As he turned into the parking lot he saw the male, later identified as Isiah McNeill, 19, of Paulding Street, run from the counter area, jump on his bicycle and flee south on North Division Street.
After noticing Zappolo in his police car, the clerk at the station frantically pointed towards the fleeing teen prompting the officer to give chase. Zappolo caught up with McNeill on Harrison Avenue, took him into custody and recovered a realistic looking BB gun from the suspect’s waistband. Backup officers who arrived to assist interviewed the clerk and learned he had been robbed at gunpoint. Undisclosed proceeds from the robbery were recovered from McNeill.
McNeill was charged with robbery in the first degree, a Class B felony.
“Thanks to his instinct and actions, Officer Zappolo was able to interrupt a crime in progress and apprehend a violent criminal, ultimately making the Peekskill community a safer place,” said Police Chief Eric Johansen.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
