A 4 a.m. disturbance call on Willis Street in South Hempstead ended with a 27-year-old woman facing multiple felony charges Sunday, after police say she attacked another woman with a broken glass bottle and then injured two officers who responded, including one she allegedly sprayed in the face with an unknown chemical substance.
Nassau County Police First Precinct officers responded around 4 a.m. Sunday to a reported disturbance at 681 Willis Street in South Hempstead, according to LongIsland.com. Detectives say Carolynne Alvarez had been involved in a physical altercation with another 27-year-old woman at that address, and that she attempted to strike the victim with a broken glass bottle, striking the victim's finger and causing a minor laceration and pain, per the same account.
When officers arrived and moved to place Alvarez under arrest, detectives say she resisted and remained violent and combative. According to the outlet's report, she sprayed an unknown chemical substance into an officer's face, causing irritation to the officer's face and eyes. As officers were walking her to a waiting ambulance following her arrest, the report states, Alvarez also kicked a second officer in the knee, causing pain.
Hospital Evaluations for Suspect and Officers
Both the injured officers and Alvarez were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment, the article notes. The exact extent of the injuries to the officers and to the woman Alvarez allegedly struck with the bottle has not been detailed publicly.
Alvarez is now charged with two counts of assault on a police officer, assault in the second degree, menacing in the third degree, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, according to the report. She was scheduled to be arraigned Monday at Nassau County's First District Court, located at 99 Main Street in Hempstead.
Felony Exposure Under New York Law
The two counts of assault on a police officer are the most serious charges Alvarez faces. Under New York Penal Law Section 120.08, that offense is classified as a Class C violent felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in state prison, according to The Fast Law Firm, P.C., which notes the charge requires proving intent to prevent an officer from performing lawful duties while causing serious physical injury.
The second-degree assault count, tied to the alleged broken-bottle attack on the other woman, is also a violent felony. Per Lerner & Lerner, P.C., New York Penal Law Section 120.05 classifies second-degree assault as a Class D violent felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of two years and up to seven years in prison upon conviction. Her remaining misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration are each Class A misdemeanors punishable by up to 364 days in local jail, according to legal explainers from Saland Law.
Because the felony counts originated in District Court, they cannot go to trial there. Under Nassau County's judicial system, pre-indictment felony charges must first be submitted to a grand jury for indictment before a case can be transferred to Nassau County Court in Mineola for trial, per the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County. Whether prosecutors will pursue that indictment remains an open question.
A Small Hamlet Policed by County's First Precinct
South Hempstead is an unincorporated hamlet of roughly 0.58 square miles within the Town of Hempstead, with a population of 3,406 recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census. As an unincorporated community, it relies on Nassau County Police rather than a local department, with the First Precinct — headquartered at 900 Merrick Road in Baldwin — providing coverage for South Hempstead and neighboring hamlets.
The First District Court in Hempstead, where Alvarez was due to be arraigned, operates seven days a week to handle weekend criminal arraignments and pre-indictment felony hearings for defendants arrested across all of Nassau County's police precincts, according to the Legal Aid Society. Whether prosecutors requested bail at the arraignment has not been reported.
The case comes amid a violent stretch of weekend calls across Nassau County. Daily Voice reported a knife assault in Great Neck on August 28 and an armed robbery in Inwood on August 29, part of a string of weapon-related incidents handled by county officers within a 48-hour span. Hoodline separately covered the Great Neck stabbing case, in which a 34-year-old man faces felony charges after allegedly stabbing a neighbor in the neck following an argument.
The identity of the chemical substance Alvarez allegedly sprayed at the responding officer has not been disclosed, nor has the full extent of injuries suffered by the officers or the woman she allegedly struck with the bottle. As with any pending criminal matter, all charges against Alvarez remain allegations that have not been proven in court.
