Jackson claims charges are retaliation

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The man who escorted Main Street shooting suspect Riccardo McCray to Channel 4 was in court himself Wednesday for a different case.

Darnell Jackson tells News 4 that he's innocent, but he is also mad and claims Buffalo Police are out to get him.

Darnell Jackson helped to get City Grill shooting suspect Riccardo McCray to surrender. Jackson claims this confrontation with a Buffalo Police detective in our Channel 4 studios last week set off his legal problems.

Jackson said, "I filed complaints against the Buffalo Police and now they're retaliating against me with this bullcrap."

Jackson appeared in City Court Wednesday afternoon on aggravated harassment and intimidation charges connected to an unrelated incident between two men.

"I don't want to talk about the allegations. That will come up in court," said Jackson.

Jackson was apparently talking on the phone. The complaint was filed by Mark Vandermark who claims Jackson called him last Friday. Vandermark says he had been threatened by someone Jackson knew and had that person arrested. He claims Jackson told him: "Tell the **** police you're not signing ****. This was a domestic dispute. You need to make this go away so that I can get my boy out of jail. Tell the police you're not signing ****."

Jackson said, "It was a phone conversation. There was no physical contact or anything like that. It was over the phone."

The conversation continued. Vandermark on what Jackson said: "Get your ID and leave, or we're going to have to deal with this." Vandermark told police he feared for his safety and the safety of his family because of Jackson's past and his crews.

"You think I'm that stupid? With all the things I do that I would go out and intimidate someone on the phone? I ain't no fool. We got a gang running around here in blue suits and it's not the Crips, it's the cops. That's the gang you need to dismantle, the Buffalo Police, that's the gang running around this town," said Jackson.

Darnell Jackson is due back in City Court on September 22 for his felony hearing. A Buffalo Police spokesman tells News 4 that Jackson is not being harassed by Buffalo's finest. He notes someone else came forward with a complaint against Jackson.