A 31-year-old man was arrested after police said he damaged a tombstone, threw rocks at passing vehicles and fought with officers Tuesday evening in Huntington.
Suffolk County police said Michael Laraque was standing near the edge of Huntington Rural Cemetery at 555 New York Ave. at approximately 6:30 p.m. on July 7 when he began throwing rocks into the street.
The rocks damaged three passing vehicles and broke a window at Laura’s Dance Studio, located at 586 New York Ave., police said.
When officers arrived, Laraque ran into the cemetery, knocked over and damaged a tombstone, then fought with two responding officers before being taken into custody, according to police.
Second Squad detectives charged Laraque, who police said is undomiciled, with first-degree cemetery desecration, second-degree menacing, five counts of third-degree criminal mischief and two counts of second-degree assault.
Police said Laraque was transported to Huntington Hospital for evaluation. He will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.
Detectives ask anyone with information on the incident to call the Second Squad at 631-854-8252.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Suffolk County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, using the P3 Tips app or visiting P3Tips.com. Tipsters may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 if the tip leads to an arrest.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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