Grand Island · I-190 Exit 5 · Armed Subject

A Man With a Rifle Reported on the I-190 Overpass at Exit 5 — and a Semi-and-Subaru Pileup on the Bridge Below — Sends Troopers and Buffalo PD Hunting

Yesterday afternoon a caller described a middle-aged man standing on the Exit 5 overpass with what looked like a black rifle, no vehicle around him; a crash on the bridge unfolded almost simultaneously, and the man was never located.

Yesterday at about 4:51 PM, a trooper on Thruway Channel 4 relayed a report that stopped the afternoon cold: “got a report of a middle-aged man holding a gun on the overpass, Caucasian male wearing a hat and a backpack, no vehicle around”. Dispatch refined the description minutes later — a Caucasian male in a baseball hat with a backpack, “possibly holding a rifle, unknown exact, possibly a black rifle” — and asked a nearby unit near the Smith Street area to head up toward Exit 5 to assist.

The scare collided with a crash on the bridge below. On the same channel, units worked an accident — a green Subaru Forester and a tractor-trailer on the I-190 northbound shoulder, no injuries reported — while the search for the armed man widened and Buffalo Police were notified. As units juggled the two incidents, one trooper's reasoning aired plainly: the armed-pedestrian hunt and the bridge wreck might well be the same situation. The man with the rifle was never located, and the investigation remained open as the afternoon wore on.

Buffalo · Oakmont · Chainsaw Assault

A Man Goes After a Woman's Son With a Chainsaw on Oakmont, and Officers Converge on a Domestic With a Long History

Late last night a caller on Oakmont reported a man outside with a chainsaw trying to cut at the household; officers raced in, and a suspect was reported in custody.

Just after 11:05 PM yesterday, Buffalo Police dispatch put out a call that sounded like something from a nightmare. “I have a nice call for 309 Oakmont,” the dispatcher radioed; it was going to be “a male outside with a chainsaw attempting to cut the female son”. Cars were sent that way immediately, and dispatch asked anyone available to head over.

The scene fractured into chaos within minutes — a broken window, a thrown bottle, and subjects in all black reported running eastbound as officers tried to sort the suspect from the crowd gathering off nearby Edison. Units relayed a name and a date of birth for the man they were after as the search tightened. The digest reflects a subject in custody tied to a domestic history and prior protection-order violations; the traffic carried every marker of a volatile family-offense call that had been building for some time.

Cheektowaga · Duke Road · Pursuit

A Cheektowaga Chase Ends in a Ditch North of the Tracks, With a Driver Bailing on Foot Near Union Station and Homeland Security Looped In

A vehicle pursuit running up to 60 mph through retail areas ended with the car wrecked in a ditch and a foot chase toward the rail line; two were taken into custody and CSX was warned of running subjects near the tracks.

Yesterday evening, around 9:30 PM, Cheektowaga police worked an eastbound pursuit that pushed speeds near 60 mph through retail corridors before the driver began bailing near the Duke Road area. Minutes later the vehicle was reported wrecked in a ditch north of the railroad tracks, with the driver and a property-damage victim present at the scene.

The chase then went to foot, with a subject running near the westbound side of Union Station. Officers reported two people in custody and one still outstanding, and — with people running along an active rail corridor — CSX was notified about train traffic and Homeland Security was looped in. What began as a traffic pursuit closed out as a multi-element scramble across roadway, ditch, and railway.

Genesee County · Alexander · Near-Drowning

A One-Year-Old Is Pulled From the Water in a Near-Drowning, and Alexander Crews Rush the Child From a Rural Road

Yesterday afternoon Genesee County fire dispatch toned Alexander companies for a one-year-old near-drowning at an Alexander Road address, committing multiple units to a tiny patient.

Yesterday at about 4:42 PM, Genesee County fire dispatch toned out Alexander companies for “a one-year-old with a near drowning” at 9457 Alexander Road. Dispatch repeated the address and the nature of the call as additional units were assigned to the run.

A second company was marked responding to back up the initial crew, the standard commitment for a pediatric water emergency far out in the county. No further detail landed on the air during the window; what the traffic carried was the urgency of pulling a child that young from the water and getting hands and transport to the scene as fast as rural roads allow.

Amherst · Maple Road · Pedestrian Struck

A Pedestrian Is Struck — Twice — by the Same Car Outside a Maple Road Wine Shop, Once on the Street and Again in the Lot

Amherst police were sent to Premier Wine & Spirits on Maple Road after a gray Dodge reportedly hit a man near Delta Sonic, then struck him a second time in the parking lot.

Yesterday at 7:22 PM, Amherst dispatch sent an officer to the Premier Wine & Spirits at 3900 Maple Road for a pedestrian-struck complaint, directing the unit to meet the complainant in the lot near a black Ford pickup. According to the dispatch, a gray Dodge “struck him while he was walking, once near Delta Sonic, and then struck him again in the lot there”.

A second officer radioed that he was coming from Transit to assist. By around 7:26 PM the pedestrian had “moved out of the roadway”, and dispatch noted the vehicle could be logged for pickup. A double-strike by a single driver — on the roadway and again on private property — is the kind of detail that turns a routine fender report into something sharper.

Chautauqua County · Jamestown · Armed Subject

A Masked Subject With a Long Gun — Possibly a Youth — Flees Through a Jamestown Neighborhood on Foot

A caller said someone pointed a long gun at him near Terrace Place; officers chased reports of masked subjects cutting between yards toward Clark Street through the early evening.

Yesterday at about 6:28 PM, Jamestown police headed toward 30 Terrace Place on a report of “a subject with a long gun, maybe a youth”. The caller said the gun had been pointed at him and that the subjects were running toward Lindwood. One male — in a black hoodie and ski mask — was described as the one carrying the rifle, with a second subject in a white hoodie alongside.

The search sprawled across the neighborhood as officers set up on Prospect and Park and worked toward McKinley. One unit reported watching subjects cut between yards toward Clark Street, one of them in all black. Officers held containment points on the surrounding streets through the evening; the digest lists the subject with the long gun as never positively located before the thread trailed off.

Thruway · A Trucker's Romance

Thruway Dispatch Fields a Dinner-and-a-Photo Proposal at Half Past Nine

The business of the night was tractor-trailers brake-checking at highway speed. But at 9:30 PM yesterday, somewhere between the event numbers and the mile markers, a voice on Thruway Channel 4 slid in with an entirely different agenda: “I'd like to take a picture with you, go off to Mary's House, I'd like to buy pizza”. Dispatch, to their credit, kept the roadway rolling without missing a beat.

West Seneca · Directions, Homespun

Just Make a Right at Anger, Past the Pet Shop — It's the Biggest House on the Street

Early this morning at 6:44 AM, a West Seneca dispatcher traded GPS for good old-fashioned landmark navigation, patiently walking a colleague toward a house with the kind of directions that only a local can give. “It's called Anger. I know it doesn't sound right, or spell right, but that's it, Anger,” the voice offered of Enger Road — before sealing it with the only landmark that matters: “the biggest house on the street on the left”.

Dunkirk · Job Security

Dunkirk Dispatch Offers a Philosophy of Parking and Employment

Amid a missing-juvenile check yesterday evening — strollers out front, phones hashed into narratives, cars turning around — a Dunkirk officer dropped a line of pure dispatch deadpan onto the channel at 6:38 PM: “You don't get fired if your car is back in corners”. No one disputed it.

Cattaraugus County · Bear Country Confusion

Can't Find Him. Can You Shoot the TV?

A car-versus-bear in Cattaraugus County produced, late yesterday evening, a short exchange that defied all interpretation. A unit reported losing track of the bear — “Where is he?” “I don't know.” “Can't find him.” — before the baffling coda landed: “Now please shoot the TV”. The bear, like the meaning, was never located.

Hamburg · Mission Accomplished

There Was a Fire, We Put Water on It, and It Went Out, So We're Gonna Go Home Now

Shortly after 1:00 AM, a Hamburg crew handled a well-involved dumpster fire with no exposures — and then delivered the most refreshingly complete incident summary the overnight produced. Stripped of jargon and signal codes, the after-action report amounted to this: there was a fire, they put water on it, it went out, and they were going home. The dumpster offered no rebuttal.

Amherst · Capen Hall · Missing Person

UB Student Unaccounted For After Telling Wife He Was Heading Home

Yesterday at 9:57 PM, Amherst Police dispatch sent units to 4877 Bailey Avenue after a woman reported her husband had left earlier that morning and never returned home. He was last known to be at UB's Capen Hall studying, and had told her around 5 PM that he was on his way back — but never showed up. Dispatch noted officers had been out at the same address the previous day for what was described as "the same exact thing."

Officers working the call relayed and corrected the man's name over the radio — first as Sean Edwards, then revised to David Edwards — with a date of birth of 12-23-99. A records check on the party came back negative, with dispatch noting only a prior mention of an opiate.

Town of Tonawanda · Woodward Avenue · Threat Call

Rambling Pre-Dawn Call Reports Gunman Coming to Shoot Him

Early this morning at 4:47 AM, Tonawanda Police dispatch sent units to 125 Woodward Avenue after a caller identified on the radio as Teddy Shepherd said “some dude is coming over to shoot him”. Dispatchers said getting more information was difficult because the caller “is not really making any sense”.

As units closed in, the caller told dispatch the other person might be in the kitchen with him, and one unit reported it sounded like he was using some kind of computerized voice to answer questions. Shepherd was last reported walking out the front door — and then the line went dead.

Clarence · Milland Road · Dog Bite

Unsecured Dog Bites Man on Milland Road, Deputies and Animal Control Called In

Yesterday at 3:20 PM, Clarence Center EMS was sent to 10570 Milland Road, between Salt Road and Goodrich Road, for a man bitten by a dog. Dispatch warned responding crews the animal was not secured at the time of the call, and both Animal Control and Erie County Sheriff's deputies were sent along with the ambulance.

By 3:31 PM, units on scene reported a minor wound to the man's hip with no bleeding, said the dog had since been secured, and cleared the call with the patient signing off against transport.

Buffalo · Walden Avenue · Assault, Knife

Firefighters Find Assault Victim While Armed Attacker Still Inside Nearby Home

Yesterday at 3:20 PM, Buffalo Fire sent Engine 31 to 544 Walden Avenue, between Gimble and Fay, as an EMS call after a 911 caller reported a woman had been assaulted, with the assailant still inside the building — the victim downstairs, the attacker in an upper unit — and crews told to stage for police before going in.

When Engine 31 reached the block minutes later, firefighters held back about two houses away while the victim came out to meet them, saying “the perpetrator is still inside with a knife”. Buffalo Fire relayed word back to police that the victim had photographs of the suspect, and that the suspect's brother reportedly had an outstanding warrant.

Buffalo · Seneca Street · Armed Crowd

Crowd Arms Up After Man Reports Attempt to Meet Minor on Seneca Street

Yesterday at 10:16 PM, Buffalo Police sent units to 2368 Seneca Street after a caller reported a white male in a gray hoodie, driving a black Chevy, had attempted to meet up with a minor there.

Dispatch added that a crowd was quickly gathering and making threats against the man, and that one person in the group had shown up with a gun before taking off.

Buffalo · Hager Street · Porch Fire

Full Assignment Called for Suspicious Porch Fire on Hager Street

Early this morning at 12:26 AM, Buffalo Fire dispatched a full assignment — engines 33, 21 and 37, ladder companies 6, 4 and 7, rescue 1 and several chief cars — to investigate a reported porch fire at 20 Hager Street, between Northland and Florida, after a caller noted a car sitting in the driveway with it unclear whether anyone was inside.

A second caller then reported at least three people near the porch, and the response was upgraded before companies arrived. Units began clearing the scene within about ten minutes, with the ladder and rescue companies reporting back in service by 12:36 AM.

Buffalo · Fulton Street · Protection Order

Man Named in Protection Order Found Banging on Door, Police Say

Yesterday at 8:53 PM, Buffalo Police were sent to 407 Fulton Street for a threat in progress after a caller said a man identified as Steven Scanlan — the subject of a standing order of protection — was “outside beating on the door”.

Lackawanna · Route 5 · Knife Threat

Parking Dispute at Speedway Escalates to Large Knife, Police Say

Yesterday at 3:05 PM, Lackawanna Police responded to the Speedway on Route 5 after a woman called to report that a man had threatened her with a knife or gun during an argument over parking.

Officers located the other party in the parking lot of a smoke shop across from the Speedway, next to a blue 2009 Toyota Camry, and confirmed he was holding a large knife. A records check on scene identified him on dispatch as Marcellus Dominguez Vega.

Cheektowaga · Genesee Street · Family Dollar

Armed Man Flees Family Dollar in Red Cadillac Before Officers Arrive

Yesterday at 8:44 PM, Cheektowaga Police were dispatched to the Family Dollar at 2320 Genesee Street after a caller reported a man had walked into the store about fifteen minutes earlier and displayed a gun before leaving in an older red Cadillac.

Dispatch tried repeatedly to reach the store by phone to check on employees, with no answer on any of the calls, before sending a second unit to cover the scene.

Cheektowaga · Broadway Street · Welfare Check

Woman With History of Seven Suicide Attempts Prompts Overnight Welfare Check

At 12:35 AM, Cheektowaga Police sent Car 3 to 3851 Broadway Street for a welfare check after Crisis Services relayed — fourth-hand, through Depew — that a woman had called saying she was suicidal and had tried to take her own life seven times since September.

Dispatch noted an initial address check on North Creek came back negative before the call was traced to the Broadway address, where officers said they had history with her, noting they had “945'd her in the past”; no outcome was given on the air.

Hamburg · Helen Avenue · Respiratory Arrest

Hamburg Man Slips Into Respiratory Arrest as Mutual-Aid Ambulances Race to Helen Avenue

At 3:23 AM, Hamburg Fire dispatch sent Big Tree EMS to 57 Helen Avenue, near Salisbury and South Park, for a 67-year-old man having difficulty breathing, with AMR already on scene requesting additional manpower.

Minutes later dispatch reported the call had turned into a full arrest, radioing that AMR was “working a respiratory arrest on Helen”; Hamburg Fire's Engine 9-1 responded to assist and crews toned out Scranton Volunteer Fire's ambulance as a precaution while East Aurora offered a rig to back up Big Tree. By 3:37 AM the attending AMR medic called to cancel the extra ambulances, saying he would ride in with the patient himself, and Scranton's crew was released.

Olean · Second Avenue · Foot Pursuit

Foot Pursuit Through Olean Ends With a Fence Jump, Two Names Floated

Yesterday at 8:44 PM, a Cattaraugus County sheriff's deputy radioed a full pursuit at Second Avenue and Front Street involving a black male the deputy believed might be Carlton Sayles. The deputy lost him near Center Street, radioing that the man had “hopped a fence on Sunder Street”, and broadcast the description to Olean PD units converging on the area.

Dispatch flagged two possible identities — Carlton Sayles or DeWitt Logan, both noted as having "file 5s" on record — while deputies described the man as a graying black male in a white hoodie with the hood up and dark tracksuit-style sweatpants. The vehicle the deputy had originally been following was no longer on scene.