Police: Forgery Suspect Caught after Hitting Trooper and Patrol Car

A Long Island man is scheduled to appear in Cortlandt town court on March 11 after allegedly he hit a trooper with a car and rammed into a patrol car to avoid a fraud arrest Sunday.

State police arrested Robert Bernhard and charged him with five counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, along with one count each of second-degree identity theft, first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal mischief and attempted aggravated assault of a police officer, all felonies. He was also charged with multiple vehicle and traffic offenses.

At about 4:15 p.m. Sunday, state trooper responded to the Best Buy in the Cortlandt Town Center, for a report of a potential fraud case. Upon arrival, store personnel pointed out Bernhard as the suspect. Troopers held a brief interview with Bernhard and advised him that he needed to return to the store to clear up the matter.

Bernhard allegedly fled police on foot, jumped into his getaway vehicle and started driving recklessly through the parking lot, hitting a trooper in the process. Bernhard's vehicle was finally stopped after he crashed into a state police patrol car.

Police said Bernhard was found to be in possession of five forged out-of-state drivers licenses, as well as several thousand dollars in stolen Apple products from multiple Best Buy stores in the Tri-State area.

Bernhard was arrested and sent to Westchester County Jail without bail.