A driver who sparked mayhem in Midtown Manhattan last month after nearly plowing into police officers and then driving through a dining shed during a traffic stop — a scene captured in a wild video — was busted Saturday, police said.
Benjamin Abrams, a 55-year-old homeless man, was charged with three counts of assault on a police officer more than two weeks after the April 19 incident, according to cops.
One of the officers hit his head and suffered a concussion after jumping out of the way of the car.
Abrams remained silent as he was walked out of the Midtown South precinct.
“Crime Stoppers tips led to his arrest,” a police spokeswoman said.
Abrams was also charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, leaving the scene of an accident and other criminal counts.
The burglary charge stemmed from Abrams going into a homeless shelter on Lexington Avenue as he fled cops and stealing a sweater, a police source said, possibly to disguise himself.
Video shows the chaotic scene that unfolded after the driver of a black Cadillac sedan was pulled over by police on East 30th Street between Madison and Park Avenues just before 5 p.m., the NYPD said.
In the video, police officers yell commands at the driver, who suddenly takes off and jumps the curb before crashing through part of an eatery’s outdoor dining shed, sending debris into the air.
One person can be seen jumping out of the car’s way as it hits the dining structure.
The vehicle then slams into a street sign as it approached an intersection prompting pedestrians to run for their lives before speeding off eastbound across Park Avenue on East 30th Street, the footage shows.
The vehicle was found abandoned later that night on East 31st Street near Lexington Avenue. It wasn’t clear where the driver has been for the past two weeks, cops said.
At one point during the investigation, police released shots of the suspect from surveillance. He was fully clad in bright yellow and wearing a mask.
Police didn’t provide a reason for the traffic stop, but sources said the driver may have been pulled over because of a fake license plate.
Photos show that the car had a paper plate, which can be bogus, cops have said.
