Incident

Date Apr 11, 2024
Time 11:38 AM
Department Buffalo Police Department
Officers Thomas E. Karbowski , Lucia C. Esquilin , John C. Garcia , Alphonso(Al) Wright , Brittany Bartels , Lisa C. Perillo , Omar A. Tirado , Joseph T. Tyson , Joseph(Joe) A. Gramaglia Iii
Address Buffalo, NY

Incident Description

On April 11th, 2024 Chief of Narcotics and Intelligence for the Erie County Sheriff’s Department Daniel "DJ" Granville, negligently, recklessly, and carelessly drove his county-owned vehicle into eight parked cars on Buffalo’s West Side. 911 recordings from that night reveal multiple callers reporting a hit-and-run. The owner of one of the damaged vehicles claimed in a lawsuit that Granville "was in an impaired condition" at the time of the crashes.

The Buffalo Police Department accident report from that night was signed off by Buffalo Police Lieutenant Lucia Esquilin — who is Granville’s sister-in-law. Five police officers, including Esquilin, are listed as as responding to the 911 calls, along with seven “other personnel.” Granville does not appear to have been given a sobriety test. He was ticketed for driving the wrong way down a one-way street and later paid a $150 fine for jaywalking. Buffalo Police said there was no body camera footage from the responding officers.

His wife, Maria Esquilin Granville — Lieutenant Esquilin’s sister — was a Buffalo police crime technician for more than 11 years. She now works for the Buffalo Sewer Authority.

One witness said the narcotics chief was taken away from the scene in a Buffalo patrol car. His truck and the cars he’d damaged were towed to the city auto impound on Dart Street, while Buffalo cops interviewed witnesses and collected information at the scene.

Outcome

City of Buffalo Response

The Buffalo Police Internal Affairs Division and the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office are conducting parallel investigations — one into how the incident was handled by responding officers, and another into Granville himself.

Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane said in a statement that a close family relative of Granville works at the DA’s office and therefore, his office cannot oversee the case. As a result, Erie County Court Judge Sheila DiTullio appointed Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman as the special prosecutor for the case, Keane announced.

Chris Scanlon, Buffalo's Acting Mayor, has stated that he cannot not comment due to the ongoing internal affairs investigation, and that the accident occurred before he became Acting Mayor. Scanlon was at the time of the accident, and still is the South District Council Member.

During a Council meeting, Niagara District Council Member David Rivera introduced a letter to Buffalo Police Commissioner Al Wright asking him to attend the next Police Oversight Committee Meeting to discuss what happened. He said that, “it’s important this Common Council go on record just as the legislature that we’re not going to sweep it under the rug, This is not accusatory nor exculpatory. This is trying to find out information on what occurred, the conduct of the officers and whether or not this matter can be referred to the State Attorney General’s Office." Commissioner Wright attended the oversight meeting, read a prepared statement, and said he would not be taking questions about the case because of the ongoiing investigation.

Erie County Response

Several claims related to the crash have cost Erie County taxpayers nearly $60,000 to settle. Despite this, Granville remained in his position until May 2025, when he was put on paid administrative leave.

Erie County Sheriff John Garcia was asked about the allegations and said, “the Buffalo Police Department is doing an internal affairs investigation, so until that concludes to me it’s a car accident, I haven’t heard otherwise and I think from day one my administration and myself have been transparent in every single case that has come before me and that won’t change, that will continue.”

Although Garcia has said his office did not conduct its own investigation into whether Granville was intoxicated when he damaged eight vehicles on April 11, 2024, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office is currently is currently conducting an internal affairs investigation.  The sheriff’s Accident Investigation Unit is typically dispatched whenever a county vehicle is involved in a crash. The Sheriff's Office also opens Professional Standards Division investigations into any alleged misconduct by deputies, but there is no indication that either was done in Granville's case.  

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “we understand from District Attorney Michael Keane’s statement that the Buffalo Police Department Internal Affairs Division sought consultation regarding the response of the Buffalo police officers who conducted the on-scene investigation after one of our employees damaged seven vehicles on April 11th, 2024. District Attorney Keane petitioned the court to have the matter transferred. We will fully cooperate with Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman if called upon. We continue to await the results of the Buffalo Police Department Internal Affairs Division investigation so that we can conclude our internal investigation.”

Erie County Legislature Chairman Tim Meyers said there is a “a lack of transparency” from both the sheriff’s office and the Buffalo Police Department.

The Erie County Legislature originally set a date — April 24 — for its own public hearings to investigate the Granville controversy. Legislature Meyers, said legislators invited Garcia, Granville and Erie County Attorney Jeremy Toth. Garcia said he would appear before lawmakers to answer questions.

The legislature later announced that it had postponed its review of D.J. Granville. The legislature said it will wait until the Buffalo Police Department’s internal investigation is done before holdings its review. Buffalo police’s investigation cannot conclude until the Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman, the special prosecutor in the case, completes his probe.

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