Law enforcement officer dies at Batavia Downs trying to subdue combative patron

Orleans County law enforcement agencies share condolences

Sgt. Thomas A. Sanfratello died in the line of duty at Batavia Downs.

BATAVIA – A sergeant with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office suffered an apparent fatal heart attack after midnight during a physical altercation at Batavia Downs, the City of Batavia Police Department said in a press release this afternoon.

Thomas A. Sanfratello, a 32-year veteran of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, was working a special assignment detail at the Batavia Downs while on duty.

Sanfratello, age 54, and casino security were notified about an altercation inside the facility. After an initial verbal confrontation inside the bar area, Sanfratello and Batavia Downs security began escorting two patrons – Michael J. Elmore, 33, and Lyndsey Jean Wilcox, 39 – out at the request of the Batavia Downs security staff, Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said in a press release.

Wilcox became physically combative with Sanfratello. He and Batavia Downs security staff gained control of Wilcox and placed her under arrest. However, Heubusch said Elmore became physically combative, attacking Sanfratello.

Batavia Downs security officers and civilians attempted to assist Sanfratello with taking Elmore into custody and a physical fight ensued. During the altercation, Sanfratello tried to user a Taser electronic control device on Elmore, but he continued to be combative, Heubusch said.

During the physical altercation, Sanfratello became unresponsive, and CPR was started immediately. Despite these life-saving efforts, Sanfratello was pronounced deceased by the Genesee County Coroner.

This is an on-going investigation, and police ask that anyone who may have witnessed this or has video of the incident to contact the City of Batavia Police Department Detective Bureau at 585-345-6311 or submit a tip at www.bataviapolice.org.

Law enforcement agencies in Orleans County are expressing their condolences on their social media pages.

From the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office: “Sheriff Bourke and the men and women of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office send our thoughts and prayers to the men and women of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and the families and friends of those involved in this tragedy.”

From the Village of Albion, NY Police Department: “In this moment of heartache, we stand with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and all of those impacted by last night’s incident. 💙”

From the Village of Medina Police Department: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the members of the GCSO as well as family and friends.”

UPDATE at 7:43 p.m.: Batavia Downs President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek issued this statement:

“The Batavia Downs Family is extremely saddened by the loss of Sergeant Sanfratello and send our very deepest condolences to his family.  We rarely have incidents at our facility in large part due to the incredible efforts of people like Sergeant Sanfratello.

“While words cannot express our sorrow, our thoughts and prayers are with the Sanfratello family and his extended first responder family.

“The safety of our guests and our dedicated staff is our highest priority and we will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement throughout their investigation.

“We are committed to assisting the Sanfratello family and the entire community through this difficult time.”