Nassau PD: Uniondale man involved in police pursuit was shot by Hempstead Village police

A Uniondale man involved in a police pursuit Tuesday afternoon was shot during an encounter with Hempstead Village police, according to Nassau police officials.
Kashawn Watts-Bryant is currently recovering at Winthrop Hospital and is set to be arraigned on assault and felony drug charges. He’s in stable condition.
The incident began when authorities say Hempstead Village police tried to pull over a white BMW allegedly driven by Watts-Bryant for having a dark tint on its windows and not having a front license plate. He had two passengers in the vehicle at the time.
Police say he led police on a chase from Hempstead, to the Southern State Parkway, to Valley Stream.
Nassau Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick told News 12 that Bryant tried to “squeeze between three sets of vehicles” and became wedged in.

“That driver then took the white BMW and sped backwards, in reverse towards the officer,” said Fitzpatrick. “The officer discharged his weapon one time. That round struck the driver in the right upper shoulder area.”
Police say Watts-Bryant took off after being shot and crashed a short time later on Primrose Lane. Forty-two minutes later, he was spotted in a backyard in West Hempstead. During that time, he allegedly discarded 300 oxycodone pills.
Watts-Bryant was then arrested after getting in a scuffle with an officer from Nassau’s Bureau of Special Operations, who was injured in the incident.
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The two men in the BMW were initially taken into custody but will not be charged. There were no guns recovered and it is not yet known if any of the men in the car were armed.
Hempstead Village police have not commented on their involvement in the shooting. Authorities are still investigating if the Hempstead Village police officer’s shooting was justified.
Hempstead Village Mayor Don Ryan released a statement that said in part, “The officer in question is on administrative leave pursuant to [Hempstead Village Police Department’s] protocols and after three days will report to work on administrative duty pending the [Nassau County Police Department’s] investigation, and an administrative review by this department.”