COPS NAB 2 IN BELT PKWY. FOOT CHASE

By Charles Rogers

Two suspects in the robbery of a DHL delivery van were caught and arrested Friday afternoon after they allegedly abducted the driver and tried to flee on the Belt Parkway.

According to a report filed at the 69th Precinct, the incident began around 2:30 p.m. on May 16 when alert residents in the vicinity of East 86th Street near Avenue J called police to say they saw a DHL driver apparently being forced into his truck by two men.

The witnesses said they saw the driver putting his arms behind him while the suspects, Wesley Gabriel and Carl Fuller, ages and addresses unknown, wrapped his wrists with duct tape.

One witness said she saw the driver being punched and then pushed into the truck before they drove off.

While a description of the suspects and details of the incident were broadcast, police received a call from residents in the vicinity of Paerdegat 13th Street about three men they said were transferring merchandise from a DHL truck into a gray minivan bearing New Jersey plates.

Police on patrol in the area responded to the scene where they were met by the DHL driver, who gave them a more complete description of the suspects.

The victim told the officers that he was abducted from the East 86th Street location when two men came up to him and said, "Don't move, don't say anything and put your hands behind your back." One of the men then put duct tape over his eyes and bound his hands.

He said he was struck above his right eye, robbed and pushed into the truck.

While police canvassed the area, they saw the gray minivan enter the Belt Parkway westbound at Rockaway Parkway.

The officers called for backup and followed the van, attempting to stop it. However, the driver pulled onto the shoulder, slowed the vehicle and, while it was moving, two suspects jumped out of the moving vehicle and ran into the woods where, after a short chase on foot, they were caught.

The van finally stopped when it crashed into a tree.

The two men caught were not injured and the third suspect is still being sought.

Police said the cooperation of residents in both the East 86th Street and Paerdegat areas was "exemplary."

One official source said it was "heartening" to see how neighbors saw something and reported it. That, and the excellent police work in this case was responsible for apprehending these suspects."

Anyone with further information is asked to call the 69th Precinct at (718) 257-6211 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential.