A police sergeant who spent decades in law enforcement has died suddenly after being attacked by two suspects outside a casino in upstate New York.
A little after midnight on Sunday morning, safety focused on a disturbance in the bar area of the Batavia Downs racetrack and casino complex in Batavia, New York, about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester. Sergeant Thomas Sanfratello, a 32-year veteran of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, was on special duty at the facility that night, working with security guards to confront unruly patrons.
according to report, Batavia residents Michael Elmore, 33, and Lindsey Jean Wilcox, 39, got into an argument and were asked to leave the property, but they refused. Sanfratello and members of the security forces then intervened and were able to transport the suspect outside.
When Wilcox got outside, he began attacking Sanfratello, but he and security guards were eventually able to arrest him, police said. Unfortunately, Wilcox’s arrest seemed to upset Elmore, who then allegedly began attacking Sanfratello as well. The sergeant reportedly attempted to use a Taser on Elmore, but the suspect allegedly continued to assault Elmore.
Sanfratello collapsed during the altercation. Others at the scene attempted CPR, but Sanfratello was not revived and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 54 years old.
Elmore has since Paid He is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault on a police officer and robbery, and Wilcox is charged with robbery and attempted assault. Both are valued at bond, but it is unclear whether either paid it. Both men are scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday.
A cause of death has not yet been reported in Sanfratello’s case, but a statement from the Batavia Police Department claimed that “Elmore intended to seriously injure Sergeant Sanfratello, and Sergeant Sanfratello died as a result of the encounter.” . The investigation into this incident is still ongoing.
“Words cannot express the sense of loss our department feels with the passing of Sergeant Sanfratello,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. “May he rest in peace.”
Sanfratello began his career with the sheriff’s office as a dispatcher in the early 1990s. In 1996 he was promoted to lieutenant and in 2007 to sergeant.
The casino complex was initially vacated and then temporary closed. It has since been reopened.
In a statement, Batavia Downs President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek expressed his condolences to Sanfratello’s family and said such incidents “rarely” occur at the casino. “Due in large part to the incredible efforts of people like Sergeant Sanfratello.” He insisted that he and his staff will continue to cooperate with the investigation.
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