Driver Who Struck Off-Duty Cop Pleads Not Guilty

Rachel Kingston Reporting

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) — Anthony Thompson, the man accused of causing a car crash that seriously injured an off-duty Buffalo Police officer, has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges lodged against him.

Thompson was arraigned Wednesday in State Supreme Court. Judge Penny Wolfgang set Thompson’s bail at $500,000.

Thompson, 22, was allegedly driving drunk when he ran a red light at Main and Ferry Streets in Buffalo on February 25. His car violently struck the vehicle of Officer Gary Sengbusch, who was off-duty and driving home from his second job at the time.

Sengbusch was hospitalized at Erie County Medical Center for over a month after the crash. He suffered numerous a broken pelvis, had to have his spleen removed, and for weeks had no feeling in his left side. He’s now in rehab and continues to recover.

A passenger in Thompson’s vehicle, 20-year-old Honey Ransom of Buffalo, died of injuries she sustained in the accident.

Thompson’s next court appearance is May 10.