Police investigating the attempted murder of a teenager searched the offices of a Queens-based anti-violence group for evidence on Friday — sparking a furious reaction from the organization’s leader, video reviewed by the Daily News shows and police confirmed.
Tensions are flying high in the video, in which numerous cops can be seen standing around inside the offices of Life Camp, on Sutphin Blvd. in South Jamaica, while the organization’s founder and CEO, Erica Ford, angrily questions why they are there.
“A search warrant for what?” Ford asks several times in the video. “What are you searching for?”
“I’m asking you not to interfere with the search warrant that we are executing,” Deputy Inspector Sean Claxton, the commander of the 113th Precinct, can be seen saying in the video at one point.
Ford denies that she is attempting to block the search.
“I am not interrupting s—! Get the f—ing police commissioner on the phone!” she shouts midway through the video.
A police spokesperson said in a statement that the search was related to the attempted murder of a 17-year-old that happened on Tuesday on Rockaway Blvd. about 20 blocks away from the Life Camp offices.
“During the execution of the warrant, a 27-year-old male interfered and was arrested and charged with Obstruction [of] Governmental Administration and Resisting Arrest,” according to the statement.
When reached by phone Friday night, Ford confirmed that Life Camp’s offices were raided and said one of her employees was arrested.
“I’m trying to get my employee out of jail,” she said. “I’m speaking with the lawyers now.”
It was not immediately clear if the arrested individual had anything to do with the attempted murder investigation.
Toward the end of the video police can be seen leaving with what appears to be a computer hard drive.
Ford founded Life Camp in 2002. The organization, which provides a range of community services aimed at reducing gun violence, including mentoring and after-school programs, received one of the first licenses to operate a retail cannabis dispensary in 2022.
In an instagram post last week, Ford thanked Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rev. Al Sharpton and other luminaries for supporting her peace advocacy efforts.