An off-duty 911 operator helped police capture a pistol-packing teen on a crowded Staten Island city bus by cleverly texting a co-worker to report the armed gunman, cops said.
Coryse Hercules, 28, was riding the S40 bus through St. George around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday when Raysean Alston, 18, pulled a gun out of his pants and stuffed it inside his backpack, cops said.
“He’s got a gun,” one female passenger whispered to a man who was with her, police said.
Alston, who has several prior arrests, then told passengers around him to “calm down,” cops said. “It’s not serious. I carry it for protection,” cops quoted Alston as saying.
Hercules, who was off-duty, decided not to risk a confrontation by calling 911 within earshot of Alston.
Instead, she used her iPhone to discreetly text a fellow 911 operator. She gave a detailed description of the gunman and his surroundings, cops said.
“Perp is sitting by female with pink stroller,” the 911 operator wrote.
Her co-worker Stephanie Williams, 24, was home at the time and contacted on-duty colleagues with the location and a description of the suspect’s black Beats headphones, backpack, mask and skull cap, cops said.
Hercules provided updates about the movement of the bus and the movement of the suspect until cops pulled the bus over.
Alston tried to walk away from the backpack but was nabbed by cops, who found a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with the serial number scratched off, police said.
They also found a silver Smith & Wesson revolver loaded with five bullets and one spent shell casing, cops added. That firearm was reported stolen in Delaware. Cops are still investigating where the spent shell casing was fired and when.
The suspect told cops he was trying to do the right thing, court papers state.
“I was on my way to hand in the two guns to the 120 when the 40 (bus) got pulled over,” he allegedly said. “I panicked and moved away from the bag. The black gun I found in Arlington Projects on Saturday, January, 19th and the silver gun was given to me on New Year’s Eve for protection.”
Alston was charged with weapons possession. He has three prior arrests for forcible touching, fare-beating and marijuana possession, police said.