A 43 year old Greek American NYPD police officer died after being hit by a 32 year old African American drunk driver early Tuesday on the Long Island Expressway. Jessica Beauvais, posted a Facebook live video hours before speaking negatively about police.
Anastasios Tsakos, known as “Tasso” by family and friends, was hit around 2 am after being assigned to direct traffic from the highway close to Exit 26, near the Fresh Meadows neighbourhood at Queens.
“Tasso” was a father of two and lived in Suffolk County. He had family in Greece, and his brother is speaking out about the family’s loss.
“He didn’t deserve this,” his brother Teddy Tsakos said. “He just bought a house. He was doing good. Everything was cut short. That’s it.” Officer Tsakos leaves behind his wife and two small children, a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son.
“It’s beyond heartbreaking,” a neighbour said. “It’s a nightmare.”
The Tsakos family had moved to the East Northport neighbourhood last summer, and neighbours say the 43-year-old lovingly known as “Tasso” was blending in beautifully to the neighbourhood. They say he was the type of person that you thought to yourself, he is going to be one of our great neighbours.
The drunk driver, identified as Jessica Beauvais of Hempstead, N.Y., was intoxicated with a suspended license.
Greek American Officer Tsakos was thrown into the air and landed in the grass nearby, while Jessice Beauvais sped off, according to a news reports.
When she exited the highway, Jessica Beauvais put her car in reverse and even rammed the police car behind her before she was arrested and taken into custody.
The 32 year old driver is facing several charges, including vehicular manslaughter, aggravated manslaughter, and driving while intoxicated.
According to the Daily Mail “Throughout the video, Beauvais is seen vaping and drinking an unknown dark liquid from a plastic cup and, at one point, drinks from a red shot glass with a Snapple bottle. Police sources claim she later confessed to guzzling vodka before the deadly accident.”
“What happened to fighting?” Beauvais asked, according to the outlet. “I grew up on fighting. I like to fight. My hands and my feet and teeth. It does something for me — what does it do for you? F***ing people up never stopped being a thing. Shooting people is still wack. It means you can’t fight. It means you’re a cop.”
She logged off around 2 a.m. by saying, “F*** the police. F*** them,” Beauvais drove onto the Long Island Expressway, according to the criminal complaint, where Greek American Officer Anastasios Tsakos, 43, was redirecting traffic after a separate fatal car accident.
Where is the outrage? “African American” was driving drunk, hmm, was speaking negatively on Facebook about “cops”, hmm, leaves the scene of an accident, turns around and rams her car into another police car.. hmm.. Greek Police Officers Lives Matter..
Thank you!