sBy Ralph Cipriano
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for BigTrial.net
Twenty-two years ago, John Ruane was a cop patrolling the North Philly Badlands when he interrupted a turf battle between rival drug dealers.
"We drove right into the middle of an execution in progress," recalled Ruane, now a trustee at the FOP. Four drug dealers were in the process of dispatching a rival drug dealer. But when the cops showed up, Ruane said, "the four shooters turned their guns toward us."
Bullets struck the Ford Bronco that Ruane and two fellow cops were riding in. Ruane saw a bullet hole in the window of the Bronco at eye level; another 9 mm round caught the bottom edge of the back of Ruane's police vest. It was another case of being saved by Kevlar, the bulletproof plastic in police vests. The distance between the bullet hole and the edge of the vest was about the size of a thumb.
The drug dealer who shot Ruane, Alberto "Hawk" Pagan, wound up getting sentenced to jail in 1999 for 22 to 44 years for the attempted murder of a police officer, as well as other charges.
Imagine Ruane's surprise when he heard from fellow cops that halfway through his prison term, Pagan was not only back on the streets again, but also on Facebook, seeking "to make female friends."
"Thanks D.A. Larry Krasner for NOT letting me know you let out the guy who shot me 22 years ago, out of prison halfway through his 44 year sentence!" Ruane wrote Tuesday night on social media. "Apparently he [Pagan] has been making new friends on FB since his release in November."
According to the state parole locator, the 61-year-old, 5-foot-4, 170-pound Pagan was released on Dec. 3rd, but his newfound freedom lasted only five months.
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"Ironically Karma caught up with him last night on Byberry Road in Parkwood where he was shot multiple times and killed," Ruane wrote. "Sorry ladies, he's back off the market again . . . If the politicians won't protect the police, then what chance do the rest of the law abiding citizens have???"
How did Pagan get out of jail 22 years early?
As usual, the district attorney's office isn't talking. District Attorney Larry Krasner and Jane Roh, his spokesperson, did not respond to a request for comment.
Also, the probation department doesn't answer questions about individual cases.
When some criminal gets out of jail early, the D.A.'s office is supposed to notify crime victims like Ruane, but in this case, nobody bothered.
"I was told that was the law," Ruane said about notification of victims, "but it's not enforced."
There wasn't much information available about the circumstances surrounding Pagan's murder. Ruane wondered if Pagan was trying to reclaim his share of the local drug business, now booming, when he was shot to death.
If so, it wasn't anything that Pagan hadn't done to others.
Pagan's career as a drug dealer is described in another case, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Aurelio "June Bug" Ramos. In a 1987 state Supreme Court decision affirming the conviction of Ramos on third-degree murder charges, the court described Alberto "Hawk" Pagan as a rival drug dealer responsible for the execution of Frank Morales, described as a small-time drug dealer from Eighth and Butler.
The murder of Morales, according to trial testimony, was ordered by "Hawk Pagan, a rival drug dealer in the Eighth and Butler area . . . in retaliation for encroaching upon Hawk's territory."
Witnesses at trial said they had heard Pagan previously warn Morales that he would be killed if he was caught selling drugs on Pagan's turf.
When Pagan went to trial, he was convicted on one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, along with firearms charges. Ruane remembers the trial judge, the late Lisa Richette, exclaiming from the bench, "Oh my God," when she heard the details about the shootings.
"She was horrified," Ruane remembered.
In 2015, Pagan, representing himself, went to court to protest that his appeal had been turned down under the Post-Conviction Relief Act. Pagan had claimed that his original sentence was illegal. He also claimed that he had newly discovered evidence, a handwritten statement from Maria Caraballo, who claimed she hadn't been notified of Pagan's original trial so that she could have appeared as an alibi witness.
But on Feb. 17, 2015, the state Superior Court determined that Pagan's appeal was without merit. It was only the latest denial in Pagan's appeal process that court records say had been going on without success since 2012.
What happened to change Pagan's legal fortunes? At present, we have no explanation, other than our current D.A., Larry Krasner, never met a criminal he didn't like, or want to do a favor for.
As for Ruane, he said he went on social media earlier this week because he wanted to point out that the D.A. was failing in his duty to protect the citizens.
As for the demise of Hawk Pagan, Ruane said, "We're not crying over it."
for BigTrial.netTwenty-two years ago, John Ruane was a cop patrolling the North Philly Badlands when he interrupted a turf battle between rival drug dealers.
"We drove right into the middle of an execution in progress," recalled Ruane, now a trustee at the FOP. Four drug dealers were in the process of dispatching a rival drug dealer. But when the cops showed up, Ruane said, "the four shooters turned their guns toward us."
Bullets struck the Ford Bronco that Ruane and two fellow cops were riding in. Ruane saw a bullet hole in the window of the Bronco at eye level; another 9 mm round caught the bottom edge of the back of Ruane's police vest. It was another case of being saved by Kevlar, the bulletproof plastic in police vests. The distance between the bullet hole and the edge of the vest was about the size of a thumb.
The drug dealer who shot Ruane, Alberto "Hawk" Pagan, wound up getting sentenced to jail in 1999 for 22 to 44 years for the attempted murder of a police officer, as well as other charges.
Imagine Ruane's surprise when he heard from fellow cops that halfway through his prison term, Pagan was not only back on the streets again, but also on Facebook, seeking "to make female friends."
"Thanks D.A. Larry Krasner for NOT letting me know you let out the guy who shot me 22 years ago, out of prison halfway through his 44 year sentence!" Ruane wrote Tuesday night on social media. "Apparently he [Pagan] has been making new friends on FB since his release in November."
According to the state parole locator, the 61-year-old, 5-foot-4, 170-pound Pagan was released on Dec. 3rd, but his newfound freedom lasted only five months.
"Ironically Karma caught up with him last night on Byberry Road in Parkwood where he was shot multiple times and killed," Ruane wrote. "Sorry ladies, he's back off the market again . . . If the politicians won't protect the police, then what chance do the rest of the law abiding citizens have???"How did Pagan get out of jail 22 years early?
As usual, the district attorney's office isn't talking. District Attorney Larry Krasner and Jane Roh, his spokesperson, did not respond to a request for comment.
Also, the probation department doesn't answer questions about individual cases.
When some criminal gets out of jail early, the D.A.'s office is supposed to notify crime victims like Ruane, but in this case, nobody bothered.
"I was told that was the law," Ruane said about notification of victims, "but it's not enforced."
There wasn't much information available about the circumstances surrounding Pagan's murder. Ruane wondered if Pagan was trying to reclaim his share of the local drug business, now booming, when he was shot to death.
If so, it wasn't anything that Pagan hadn't done to others.
Pagan's career as a drug dealer is described in another case, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Aurelio "June Bug" Ramos. In a 1987 state Supreme Court decision affirming the conviction of Ramos on third-degree murder charges, the court described Alberto "Hawk" Pagan as a rival drug dealer responsible for the execution of Frank Morales, described as a small-time drug dealer from Eighth and Butler.
The murder of Morales, according to trial testimony, was ordered by "Hawk Pagan, a rival drug dealer in the Eighth and Butler area . . . in retaliation for encroaching upon Hawk's territory."
Witnesses at trial said they had heard Pagan previously warn Morales that he would be killed if he was caught selling drugs on Pagan's turf.
When Pagan went to trial, he was convicted on one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, along with firearms charges. Ruane remembers the trial judge, the late Lisa Richette, exclaiming from the bench, "Oh my God," when she heard the details about the shootings.
"She was horrified," Ruane remembered.
In 2015, Pagan, representing himself, went to court to protest that his appeal had been turned down under the Post-Conviction Relief Act. Pagan had claimed that his original sentence was illegal. He also claimed that he had newly discovered evidence, a handwritten statement from Maria Caraballo, who claimed she hadn't been notified of Pagan's original trial so that she could have appeared as an alibi witness.
But on Feb. 17, 2015, the state Superior Court determined that Pagan's appeal was without merit. It was only the latest denial in Pagan's appeal process that court records say had been going on without success since 2012.
What happened to change Pagan's legal fortunes? At present, we have no explanation, other than our current D.A., Larry Krasner, never met a criminal he didn't like, or want to do a favor for.
As for Ruane, he said he went on social media earlier this week because he wanted to point out that the D.A. was failing in his duty to protect the citizens.
As for the demise of Hawk Pagan, Ruane said, "We're not crying over it."