Man fleeing from cops with stolen car plows into 10 pedestrians on busy NYC streets before being tackled by New Yorkers
A man driving a stolen vehicle sped away from police in Manhattan on Tuesday, plowing into three cars and several pedestrians during a wild chase that ended when New Yorkers tackled the suspect to the ground, cops and sources said.
Ten people, including two children, were injured during the mayhem that began after police tried to stop a stolen red Hyundai SUV with Illinois license plates at Third Avenue and 43rd Street around 5:30 p.m., according to the NYPD and law enforcement sources.
“It was crazy, it was horrific,” Michael Discioarro, who witnessed some of bloody injuries, told The Post.
With police car lights flashing, the man initially “started to pull over” but then hit the gas, Patrol Borough Manhattan South Deputy Chief James Kehoe said at a press conference.
Officers continued to pursue the stolen Hyundai “at a lower rate of speed because of the heavy traffic” before the SUV turned onto Lexington Avenue and struck another motorist between 42nd and 43rd streets, said Kehoe.
Down the block, the suspect slammed into a yellow taxi, then mounted the sidewalk, where he struck several pedestrians, police said.
He then made a U-turn at the congested 42nd Avenue intersection, striking several more victims, and drove in the wrong direction down one-way Lexington Avenue, Kehoe said.
The driver finally collided head-on with a black sedan, ending the car chase. But he hopped out of the SUV and bolted.
Video obtained by The Post shows the desperate driver sprinting away and trying to weave through the dense crowd until bystanders pounced on the fleeing man.
The civilians detained him until police placed him in custody.
“When the cops showed up, the guy they took into custody was trying to fight with the cops — trying to push the cops away,” said Discioarro.
A second, female perp fled and is still on the loose, according to law enforcement sources.
A zip-lock baggie containing a green, leafy substance and drug paraphernalia were reportedly recovered from the front seat, sources said.
At least 10 people were injured in the pursuit.
A 6-year-old and a 10-year-old were among those treated for injuries. The oldest victim is 72.
None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to the FDNY.
The most severe injury was an ankle fracture, while most sustained minor abrasions and neck and back pain.
Some of those hurt were left stranded in the roadway until first responders arrived, sources told The Post.
Discioarro, an attorney, said he was walking from Grand Central when the driver peeled through the corridor, leaving a bloody trail in his wake.
One “victim on the ground was seriously injured. A lot of blood,” Discioarro recalled.
“Another victim was laid up against the door of a store. She was clearly hurt … Her leg was twisted in a way you shouldn’t twist a leg.”
In spite of the chaos, Discioarro said, bystanders jumped into action to help the injured victims.
Police did not identify the driver, but said he is a 20-year-old man who does not have a New York license.
He has several arrests on his rap sheet, sources said, including two gun charges and a history of narcotics, sources said.
The SUV he was driving was reported stolen Monday in the Bronx, but may have been taken over the weekend.
Additional reporting by Kyanna Gumbs
