BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Authorities tell News 4 an NFTA Police officer was forced to open fire on a suspected car thief.

Just after 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, police were called to Linwood Avenue and Bryant Street. 40-year-old James Delacy, an NFTA Police officer who has been on the force for two years and was previously with the Erie County Sheriff's office, was on patrol spotted a stolen car with a suspect inside. The suspect took off running and Officer Delacy gave chase, eventually catching the large man, believed to weigh over 300 pounds.

The suspect started to get the better of the officer during the scuffle, gaining control of the officer's pepper spray and blasting the officer with it. Officer Delacy pulled his service weapon and shot the suspect in the rear end. The suspect has been identified as Kevin Allen of Buffalo, no age or address available.

Both Allen and Officer Delacy were taken to ECMC for their injuries. Both are expected to be okay. The NFTA has launched an internal investigation with the assistance of the Buffalo Police Department internal affairs division.

We'll have more on this story on News 4 at 5 and 6

So hopefully this is for real that Tonawanda Coke will reduce their benzene output by 2/3rds. Sometimes I can smell the pollution from this company it is really makes it hard for me to breath.

Tonawanda Coke agrees to reduce benzene emissionsBy Janice L. Habuda



Benzene emissions from Tonawanda Coke Corp. will continue to fall under agreements signed this week between the company and regulatory agencies, officials announced Wednesday.

Regional leaders from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Conservation discussed the agreements at a news conference outside the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Municipal Building, where they also announced that grants totaling $230,000 have been awarded to two groups involved in local environmental efforts.

“Our work on Tonawanda Coke is a work in progress,” said Judith A. Enck, the EPA’s regional administrator. “We’re not done. It’s continuing.”

According to Enck, the agreements, combined with earlier efforts, will reduce emissions of benzene—a known carcinogen — from the River Road facility by at least two-thirds.

“We are focused . . . on the benzene emissions because benzene has been linked to cancer, to blood disorders and to reproductive problems,” Enck said.

Officials did not give a timeline for the two-thirds reduction or any details on current benzene emission levels.

A yearlong air-quality study, performed by the DEC during 2007 and 2008, established that Tonawanda Coke is the predominant source of benzene in the town’s industrial zone.

The agreements with the state and federal environmental agencies require the company to make significant repairs to — and eventually replace — the ammonia scrubber system, among other things.

“That is Phase 1 of our enforcement together,” said Abby Snyder, regional director for the DEC. “The first thing we wanted to target was reducing benzene emissions.”

A total of $230,000 in EPA grants will go to environmental initiatives for local businesses and residents.

A $130,000 pollution prevention grant was awarded to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, which is based at Rochester Institute of Technology. It will be used to lend technical assistance to businesses in the town, conduct detailed environmental assessments of their manufacturing processes and improve operations to significantly reduce their environmental impacts.

A $100,000 Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant went to the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, a citizens group that initiated air testing on its own several years ago to investigate residents’ illnesses. The coalition will work with residents to prioritize environmental risks and concerns they want addressed.

“Finally, the voice of the Tonawanda community was heard,” said Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N. Y. “This agreement, spearheaded by the EPA, along with DEC, [proves] that a community can band together and stand up for their simple right to breathe clean air.”

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, applauded the development. “Clean air is a basic human right, and I’m proud of my friends at the Clean Air Coalition for leading the fight on behalf of everyone in Tonawanda,” she said.