Farmingville teen pleads not guilty to weapons, assault charges in high-speed chase that injured 3 police officers, DA says

A Farmingville teen who allegedly injured three officers last month during a high-speed chase through Suffolk County pleaded not guilty to weapons charges, second-degree assault and other crimes in Riverhead on Tuesday, District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office said in a statement.

Authorities launched an investigation into Kyri Law, 18, after he displayed an illegal firearm on a social media post, according to prosecutors. Law threw a black bag containing an illegal firearm with an extended magazine out of his vehicle’s window during the 8-mile chase from his home in Farmingville to Oakdale, but the bag was later recovered.

Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei ordered Law held on $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond. Law, scheduled to return to court on Oct. 23, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count, Tierney’s statement said.

Law’s attorney, John LoTurco, of Huntington, called Law an "18-year-old gentleman" who has no prior arrests and is eligible for youthful offender status.

"Kyri comes from an outstanding family lineage, including numerous law-enforcement members," LoTurco said in a statement to Newsday. "His family prays for a full recovery to any injured police officer."

Law was on his way to work on the morning he was arrested, LoTurco said.

"He is a recent high school graduate and has a promising future," the attorney said. "His family is dismayed at the charges, but we will carefully scrutinize the evidence to determine our strategy going forward. Our objective is to obtain the fairest outcome, based upon our client’s age, background and the evidence."

The district attorney’s Gang Task Force and detectives from the Suffolk Police Gun Crime Reduction Unit initiated an investigation into Law in August, after a photo of Law displaying an loaded handgun with an extended magazine and no serial number was posted on social media. Law was not charged with any gang-related crimes and Tierney’s statement did not say he was associated with a gang.

When investigators arrived at Law’s Farmingville apartment to execute a search warrant for the illegal firearm on Aug. 28, Tierney’s statement said, Law left the apartment as investigators approached his front door and fled in his mother’s 2022 Alfa Romeo.

Law allegedly rammed a police vehicle as he sped away from the apartment complex, prosecutors said, injuring an officer. He led police on a high-speed chase before he crashed into another police vehicle in Oakdale, injuring two more officers. The officers were treated at a local hospital and released, but did miss work as a result of the crashes, the DA's office said. 

The bag containing a 9 mm gun with no serial number that Law tossed out the window was later found following "a lengthy search by members of law-enforcement," prosecutors said.

"This case is yet another reminder of the dangerous situations our law-enforcement officers face every day," Tierney said. "We are grateful for their courage as they work diligently to keep us safe."