COLONIE – On Wednesday, Dec. 28, at approximately 6 p.m., the Colonie Police Department responded to Colonie Center Mall for a reported fight involving several individuals, some of whom were armed with knives or handguns. This incident took place on the upper level, between Macy’s and Boscov’s.
One man was arrested on gun charges that night, but two additional men were arrested after an investigation and the execution of search warrants.
Sincere F. Ocasio, 18, and Brian Strong,18, both of Albany, were actively involved in assaulting the victim, one of whom was armed with a large knife and stabbed the victim.
“Both subjects were taken into custody early this morning by the Colonie Police Department Special Services Team, at two separate locations within the City of Albany. Assistance was provided by the Albany Police Department,” a statement from Colonie police said.
According to police, the knife used in the attack was recovered during the execution of search warrants at the defendant’s homes. Multiple imitation firearms were also located, one of which is believed to have been produced during this assault.
While the exact circumstances leading up to the assault are still being investigated, it appears that all the involved parties were known to each other, and this was not a random attack.
Investigators are still working to determine if any other individuals were involved.
During the altercation, two stores that were in close proximity to the fight went into a lock-down for a brief period, until police had secured the area and determined this was an isolated incident. Officers located one injured victim, who suffered minor knife wounds to his hands and head during the fight. He was treated by EMS and released.
A short while later, while searching the area for other involved parties, Officers located a group exiting a different area of the mall and entered a 2007 Grand Cherokee. This group did have some involvement in the earlier fight, however their exact role is still being investigated. One member of this group, Nhoj Sanders, 24, of Schenectady, was found to be in possession of a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun, loaded with 24 rounds in the pocket of his hoodie. This person had no permit to possess this weapon, and he was taken into custody.
The circumstances surrounding the initial fight are still being investigated.
Sanders was charged with criminal possession of a weapon 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd and 2 additional counts for having a large capacity magazine and the weapon serial number being defaced.
Sanders was arraigned in the Colonie Town Court and was sent to the Albany County Jail pending a future hearing.
Ocasio and Strong were both charged with attempted murder, attempted assault and assault, all felonies, and criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.
Both men were arraigned in the Colonie Town Court and remanded to the custody of the Albany County jail pending a future court date.
If you were a witness to this incident, or you know something that might be relevant to this investigation, please contact the Colonie Police Investigations Division at 518-783-2754. If you wish to report a tip anonymously, you can call Capital Region Crimestoppers at 1-833-ALB-TIPS, or go to capitalregioncrimestoppers.com.
