Police: Utica man arrested for attempted robbery that left man paralyzed

H. Rose Schneider, Observer-Dispatch
·2 min read
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A 20-year-old Utica man was arrested Monday in connection with a Nov. 12 attempted robbery that left a man paralyzed, according to a release from the Utica Police Department.

Tahjer Hicks was one of four people stopped by Utica police around 10:45 p.m. on Oswego Street near City Street, after Utica police investigators with the Gun Involved Violence Elimination unit noticed a vehicle leaving a "hot spot" — an area determined by data collection to have a higher than usual amount of gun violence, Utica police Sgt. Michael Curley explained.

"It's patrolled more proactively than other areas," he said.

Utica police say a man involved in an attempted robbery that left a man paralyzed has been arrested.
Utica police say a man involved in an attempted robbery that left a man paralyzed has been arrested.

Police who stopped the vehicle recognized Hicks, who was wanted in relation to a shooting on Nov. 12 on the 800 block of Bleecker Street. Utica police had responded there around 4 a.m. for a man and woman suffering from a gunshot wound and head laceration, according to an earlier release.

The two said three people had asked them for a ride home. When they arrived, one man brandished a handgun to rob them, the release said. Another person pepper-sprayed them while the man struck them in the head with the gun. During this, he fired a shot that hit the man in the upper back by his neck. The three suspects fled the scene, and the man and woman called 911 and were hospitalized, the release said.

Curley said it wasn't known the man was paralyzed from his injuries until the following day at the hospital. Hicks is not believed to have shot him, but did attack the two, he said.

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"Our major crimes team has been very diligent," Curley said of the investigation. "Our investigative efforts paid off."

Hicks was charged with first-degree attempted robbery and first-degree assault, both felonies, police reported. He is currently being held in Oneida County jail, according to jail records.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing and additional arrests are expected, the release said.

H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica man arrested for attempted robbery that left man paralyzed