Staten Island Robbery suspect who escaped NYPD custody is apprehended

Freddie Thompson escaped from the Criminal Court House in Stapleton. He was apprehended on Saturday.

The convicted felon who walked out of Stapleton Criminal Court on Wednesday after posing as another prisoner was captured late Friday night in Manhattan.

Cops picked up Freddie Thompson, 35, around 11:05 p.m. at Lexington Avenue and 51st Street in Midtown, said a police spokesman.
Warrant Squad detectives tracked down Thompson as "part of the investigation," said the spokesman, who could provide no further details on the arrest.
When asked how officers tracked down the suspect, the spokesman said it was "part of the investigation" but had no further details.
Thompson was wearing blue jeans, a black cap, a white T-shirt and brown work boots when he was nabbed, said police. He has a tattoo of an executioner on his arm and a crucifix on his chest.

On Thursday, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said cops had searched 19 locations trying to find Thompson and planned to scour additional spots.
Thompson, who cops said originally lived in upstate Schenectady, currently resides on Avenue B in Port Richmond.
Thompson was being arraigned Wednesday in Criminal Court on multiple armed robbery charges stemming from three gunpoint robberies in the borough last month, when he posed as another prisoner, Jermaine Gavins, 29, of Elm Park, police said.
Photo Courtesy of NYPDFreddie Thompson

Gavins, who is of similar stature to the 6-foot, 3-inch, 200-pound Thompson, was being arraigned on a marijuana possession charge.
Assuming Gavins' identity, Thompson pleaded guilty to the marijuana charge and was sentenced to time served.
Then he walked out of the courthouse front door.
Hours later, red-faced police officials put out a media alert with his face, a terse description of the chain of events and a plea for public assistance.
On Thursday, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly admitted to reporters that the NYPD was at fault. Kelly said an officer whom he did not identify "did not adequately check the identification of the prisoner."
Cops are supposed to match prisoners to their photographs to make sure they have the right person.
"There was a mistake made here. There's no question about it," Kelly said.  
The commissioner said the officer has been put on modified assignment, but noted that almost 400,000 arrests are processed each year and mistakes will be made.
Defense lawyer Allen P. Cappelli, contended, though, that police are working with black-and-white, grainy photos from ancient printers when they identify suspects and that "modern, color printers" are needed.
Judge Desmond Green remanded Thompson at his arraignment today in Stapleton Criminal Court on felony charges of identity theft and escape, stemming from Wednesday's bolt. He's also accused of misdemeanor counts of criminal impersonation, identity theft and escape.
The suspect is also being held on $150,000 bail on charges arising from the gunpoint robberies. The heists occurred on Feb. 18 and 25, when Thompson allegedly demanded drugs and cash from his victim, and on Feb. 26 when he demanded only cash, allege police.
In addition, Thompson is being held on $25,000 bail for allegedly violating an order of protection by contacting his ex-girlfriend and damaging a piece of her property.
Thompson, who previously served time for an attempted assault conviction in Brooklyn, was ordered back to court on Monday.
Gavins, the prisoner whose identity Thompson assumed, has not been charged with a crime, said William J. Smith, spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. But the incident is being investigated to determine if he was paid, coerced or just plain not paying attention when his name was called.  
Gavins also is a convicted felon.
Like Thompson, he'd been arrested Tuesday after, sources said, he was found with a small quantity of marijuana and a scalpel-like instrument.
Thompson's flight marked the second time in roughly two months a prisoner on his way to a Criminal Court appearance on Staten Island has escaped from the custody of NYPD officers.