Rogue Cop Committed Robberies While on Duty, Witness Says

By ALEX ELLEFSON

 Instead of stopping for donuts and coffee, New York City Police Officer Jose Tejada drove to Washington Heights to rob a drug-dealer during his lunch break, his friend testified in Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday.

 Tejada was arrested in April and charged with committing at least three robberies, some while on duty, which earned him eight kilograms of cocaine and thousands of dollars.  

In August, Tejada was also indicted by a federal grand jury for three counts of obstruction of justice because he allegedly ran the names of his co-conspirators through law enforcement databases to find out if there were any warrants out for their arrest.

 Ex-auxiliary officer Yvan Tineo, told the court that he and Tejada earned nearly $30,000 dollars from three kilograms of cocaine they stole during their daylight robbery.

He testified that in October 2006, they drove to Seaman Avenue and 204^th Street and waited for a drug-dealer described to them by a friend.

“We wanted to do it while he [Tejada] was on duty so he could provide a police vehicle,” Tineo said.

Tineo testified that their friend, Nolberto Morel, roshe run nm br arranged for the drug-dealer to walk up the street. When they saw their target, the two men got out of the car and approached him, Tineo said.

“I grabbed the book bag with drugs while he cuffed him,” Tineo said.

“We put the gentleman in the police vehicle and drove south,” Tineo said, adding that they turned the lights and sirens on to make it look like a real arrest.

After questioning the drug-dealer in the car about where he got the cocaine and who it was for, Tineo said they let the man go.

When asked by the prosecutor whether letting the dealer go might have made him suspicious that it was a robbery, Tineo responded: “We didn’t care.”

Tineo also testified that Tejada carried his service weapon, a 9mm Glock, during the daylight robbery.