Roland Codrington (NYPD)
A 35-year-old New York man with a lengthy rap sheet has been arrested after he allegedly went on a violent crime spree last week that left at least two men dead.
Roland Codrington was taken into custody on Christmas Eve and charged with several felonies, including two counts of murder, authorities announced.
During a Monday press conference, Chief of Detectives for the New York City Police Department James Essig provided additional details on the series of crimes that took place over the course of four days and which initially seemed unconnected.
Officers with the 30th Precinct on Saturday, Dec. 24 at approximately 9:40 p.m. performed a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle at 166th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, the chief said.
“Inside that vehicle was a man wanted for homicide and numerous assaults,” Essig said. “Further investigation revealed that this person was involved in a violent spree beginning Dec. 19 and ending Dec. 23. This violence resulted in two stabbing homicides, two stabbing non-fatal assaults, and one assault with a bat, all occurring in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem.”
The first incident allegedly took place at approximately 1 a.m. on Dec. 19 in front of an East Village-area building located at 214 Avenue A, between 13th and 14th Streets. A male victim was discovered with a “10-inch slash wound across his neck,” according to Essig. The victim had been leaving a nearby bar and was going southbound on Avenue A when a male approached him and engaged in a dispute with him for approximately 20 seconds, video obtained by investigators allegedly showed. The male aggressor can then be seen pulling out a knife and slashing the victim across the neck.
The 51-year-old victim, whose name has not been released, died from the slash wound at Bellevue Hospital.
Essig said that video footage of the incident showed the perpetrator was with a female at the time of the incident. The woman was later identified as Codrington’s girlfriend. She has not been charged with any crimes.
The second incident took place at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 at Teddy’s Bar located at 2171 Second Avenue in Harlem. Codrington allegedly entered the bar with a pit bull and a baseball bat.
“He proceeded to go behind the bar where he assaulted the bartender and destroyed property,” Essig said. “When two customers intervened, they were both stabbed with a large knife that the male was carrying. All suffered non-life-threatening injuries.”
Investigators said the assault stemmed from a previous dispute at the bar approximately a week earlier because he allegedly “felt disrespected by the employees” and was asked to leave.
The final assault allegedly took place a short while later in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park, where Codrington allegedly went to walk and “cool off” after the incident at Teddy’s Bar. Codrington allegedly got into an argument with Dr. Bruce Maurice Henry, 61, whom he allegedly stabbed multiple times in the torso, back, eye, and hand, killing him. Henry’s body was found at approximately 2 a.m. on Dec. 23.
Authorities on Dec. 24 arrested Codrington, who was allegedly driving Dr. Henry’s Mercedes Benz in the vicinity of the park at the time.
Authorities are now looking into whether any additional stabbings or assaults in the city may be connected to Codrington, who is currently being held without bond.
Watch the press conference below:
[image via NYPD]
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