2 Arrested On Gun Charges After New Hyde Park Car Crash: PD

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — A Brooklyn man injured a police officer who was placing him under arrest after a tow truck driver found a handgun in the back of his car following a car crash in New Hyde Park on Saturday.

Joshua Shawn Lozada, 24, of 3415 Neptune Ave. and his passenger, Melvin Cardines Jr., 39 of the same address, were in a car that slid off the road and struck a tree at Jericho Turnpike and Covert Avenue at about 2:40 a.m. on Saturday, police said.

A tow truck driver found a handgun on the rear passenger floor of the car a short time later at the tow yard at Grand Auto Body in New Hyde Park and notified police officers, detectives said.

Lozada and Cardines were waiting for a taxi when police arrived back at the intersection and Lozada, who resisted arrest, was found with another loaded handgun, as well as marijuana, police said.

During the arrest processing procedure, Lozada “became irate and attempted to strike a detective with his fist,” police said. While officers were trying to gain control of him, he intentionally whipped his head back” in a reverse head butt that struck an assisting officer and caused a bloody nose and contusion, police said.

Lozada is charged with two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of second-and-third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Cardines is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Both men were scheduled to be arraigned on Sunday, according to online court records. They face up to 15 years in a state prison based on the top weapons possession charge.