A suspected shoplifter accused of leading police on a high-speed chase from Rochester to Batavia more than a year ago entered a guilty plea to attempted assault in the first degree in Genesee County Court on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for a guaranteed prison term of no more than 10 years.
Andrew A. Said, 49, and a native of Buffalo and a resident of Florida at the time of his arrest Aug. 3, 2018, entered his plea on an Alford basis. That means he would not admit in open court to the underlying events of the charge but acknowledged that if the case went to trial, he would likely be found guilty by a jury.
Said was indicted in May on counts of: attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer; first-degree attempted assault; first-degree reckless endangerment; third-degree criminal mischief; second-degree criminal mischief; unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle; driving while ability impaired by drugs; aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree; reckless driving; operating an unregistered motor vehicle; operating a vehicle without insurance; and uninspected motor vehicle.
The plea satisfies all of the counts, including a count pending in Batavia City Court stemming from an incident in the jail.
In county court yesterday, Said he would only factually admit to being in Batavia and driving a vehicle in Batavia at the date and time specified in the indictment.
As for the rest of the facts of the case, as part of the Alford plea process, First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini recited the narrative the prosecution would present to a jury at a trial.
She said Said is accused of driving a 1997 Mercedes into Genesee County sometimes at speeds in excess of 100 mph in a reckless manner that forced some other vehicles, including State Police patrol vehicles, off the roadway.
After Said's Mercedes exited the Thruway in Batavia, Cianfrini said State Police were able to execute a "box-in" maneuver at Exit 47, but Said threw his car into reverse, slamming into a patrol vehicle. Then the defendant is accused of putting the car in drive and accelerating quickly and driving straight toward a Trooper who had exited his vehicle. The action forced the trooper to dive out of the path of the car for his own safety.
Said then led troopers on a high-speed chase over city and town streets, again hitting speeds in excess of 100 mph at times, until he tried to ditch his car at a property on Kelsey Road in the Town of Batavia.
As part of the plea, Said was required to agree to pay restitution to the State of New York to damage to patrol vehicles, which exceeds $7,000. There may also be a claim for restitution from the property owner on Kelsey Road where Said and a passenger were apprehended.
