New York City Mayoral Candidate Captures Second Armed Suspect

Candidate faces gunman who broke into his Manhattan home and holds suspect until police arrive.

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 25, 2005 -- It’s happened again. Independent New York City mayoral candidate, Judge Fred Parker, caught his second armed suspect last night. This time, however, the gun-wielding thug came face to face with Parker inside his Tribeca apartment. The man claimed to be a friend of the candidate and was allowed to enter the residence by a campaign worker.

On September 16, 2005, a similar incident took place during a campaign speech. The suspect was eventually taken into custody.

Last night’s confrontation failed to result in an arrest. The gunman, who has yet to be identified, eluded police when he jumped through an open window in the Parker apartment and fell several stories to the street. The suspect suffered minor injuries and fled on foot to the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Several minutes later shots were exchanged with a second suspect who had apparently been in pursuit after witnessing the events outside the lower Manhattan residence. Both men died at the scene.

According to Parker, he had not met the gunman prior to last night. “I arrived home and found him waiting for me. He thought I was someone who spent time with him in jail. What he wanted, I don’t know. But clearly he had some problems.”

Authorities credit Parker with briefly diffusing the situation by engaging the man in conversation and patiently waiting until a campaign volunteer was able to summon help.

“This is highly unusual,” said Parker campaign manager, Sara Foster. “My staff has been on alert since September, so I’m not quite sure how this happened again.”

Parker’s bid for Mayor Bloomberg’s office gained a slight bump in polls immediately after the first incident. Foster refused to speculate on any positive effect last night’s break-in might have.

Parker served 15 years on the bench and has recently been tagged as the "Angel on My Shoulder Candidate” for his heroics and his long-standing devotion to public service. He started the Parker Foundation in 1995 in an effort to help New York City’s at-risk youth. The organization has since branched out to all five boroughs and is credited with reducing local juvenile crime by 53%.

"I never set out to be an angel," Parker said. "As a kid growing up on the streets of New York, I had a devil of a time getting to where I am now. I understand that juvenile delinquency is not a matter of bad kids or good kids, but rather a matter of bad conditions and good conditions. While it seems to me that Mayor Bloomberg's agenda benefits only the wealthy, I want to reach out across all socio-economic lines."

The Parker for Mayor campaign website can be found at www.angelonmyshoulder.net.

# # #