Regional Briefs – January 22, 2018

Police Explosives Dog Chokes to Death on Ball

WATERTOWN, N.Y. – A police dog choked to death Thursday when a ball it was retrieving during a training exercise got stuck behind its teeth, the Post-Standard reported. The German Shepherd, named Scout, was a three-year veteran trained to detect explosives.

Police Arrest 2 Men in Times Square Hit-and-Run of Cop

NEW YORK – Two Bronx men were arrested Thursday for running over an officer who tried stopping their speeding car in Times Square, The Associated Press reported. A passerby caught the incident on video. Arfhy Santos, 20, the driver, was charged with attempted murder and William Lopez, 24, for reckless endangerment.

Mobile Shower Bus to Take To the Streets of Brooklyn

BROOKLYN – Homeless people in Brooklyn will have a place to get clean thanks to a new mobile shower service made from a converted school bus, The Associated Press reported. It will have two stalls complete with soap, towels and clothes and will travel through different neighborhoods.

Thruway Webpage Will Help Customers Use Toll Amnesty

ALBANY – The Thruway Authority opened a new webpage — thruway.ny.gov/amnesty — that will allow drivers to determine if they have open violations of non-payment of cashless tolls for the Tappan Zee Bridge. An amnesty program runs Jan. 22 through Feb. 26.

Gas Explosion Rocks Brooklyn Neighborhood, Injures 4

BROOKLYN – A gas explosion ripped through a Coney Island apartment Saturday morning and injured four tenants, all Guatemalan immigrants, the Daily News reported. The cause is believed to be a small gas leak in the apartment.