UPDATED 5:22 P.M.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Police in New York City have arrested a U-Haul truck driver accused of deliberately plowing into pedestrians on Monday, injuring at least eight people before officers chased him down and stopped the vehicle, authorities said.
The “violent rampage” through the Bay Ridge neighborhood of New York’s Brooklyn borough left two victims hospitalized in critical condition and two in serious condition, city Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters on Monday afternoon, standing in front of the intersection where the truck was halted.
Four others sustained minor injuries, she said, adding that a police officer was among those who were hurt.
As of late Monday afternoon, police had not publicly identified the suspect. But the New York Times, citing two senior law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity, gave the driver’s name as Weng Sor.
NBC reported he is 62 years old. Reuters was not able to independently verify the driver’s identity.
Shortly after the arrest, Justin Brannan, a city council member who represents the area, told news outlet NY1 that the incident “seemed random but was obviously on purpose.”
“This driver knew what he was doing, knew that he was hitting people,” Brannan said, adding that when the driver was pulled over, he told police, “I want to die.”
A video clip aired on WABC-TV showed a truck narrowly missing a pedestrian on a sidewalk, with a police cruiser in pursuit. The pedestrian had to jump out of the truck’s path to avoid a collision.
The incident occurred on the same day that a federal jury began weighing whether to impose the death penalty in the trial of Sayfullo Saipov, the extremist convicted of intentionally driving a truck down a New York City bike path in 2017, killing eight people.
Attorneys at the Saipov penalty proceedings briefly discussed the Brooklyn U-Haul rampage while the jury was out of the courtroom. Defense lawyers asked for a mistrial, saying news of the latest incident could be prejudicial to jurors. The judge denied the motion.
Police did not suggest any connection between the two incidents.
“At this time, we have no indication that there is any terrorism involvement in this incident,” Sewell said of Monday’s violence.
Both Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul were briefed on the incident, officials said.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Jonathan Allen, Sharon Bernstein and Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Josie Kao)
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UPDATED 1:18 P.M.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A man driving a U-Haul truck in New York City’s Brooklyn borough struck eight people while attempting to evade police before officers stopped the careening vehicle and arrested him, the city’s police commissioner said on Monday.
The “violent rampage” through the Bay Ridge neighborhood left eight people injured, including an officer, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told a news conference on Monday afternoon, standing in front of the intersection where the truck came to a stop.
Two people are in critical condition, two are in serious condition and four sustained minor injuries, she said.
Shortly after the arrest, Justin Brannan, a city council member who represents the area, told NY1 that the incident “seemed random but was obviously on purpose.”
“This driver knew what he was doing, knew that he was hitting people,” Brannan said, adding that when the driver was pulled over, he told police, “I want to die.”
A video clip aired on WABC-TV showed a truck narrowly missing a pedestrian on a sidewalk, with a police cruiser in pursuit. The pedestrian had to jump out of the truck’s path to avoid a collision.
The incident occurred on the same day that a federal jury began weighing whether to impose the death penalty on Sayfullo Saipov, the extremist who intentionally drove a truck down a New York City bike path in 2017, killing eight people.
Police did not suggest any connection.
“At this time, we have no indication that there is any terrorism involvement in this incident,” Sewell said.
Both Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have been briefed on the incident.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Josie Kao)
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UPDATED 12:38 P.M.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A man driving a U-Haul truck in New York City’s Brooklyn borough struck multiple people while attempting to evade police before officers stopped the vehicle and arrested him, the city’s police department and local media said on Monday.
NBC News reported that at least six people were injured, including two in serious condition, citing law enforcement sources. The victims included three people on mopeds and a pedestrian in his 30s, NBC reported.
Shortly after the arrest, Justin Brannan, a city council member who represents the area, told NY1 that the incident “seemed random but was obviously on purpose.”
“This driver knew what he was doing, knew that he was hitting people,” Brannan said, adding that when the driver was pulled over, he told police, “I want to die.”
A video clip aired on WABC-TV showed a truck narrowly missing a pedestrian on a sidewalk, with a police cruiser in hot pursuit. The pedestrian had to jump out of the truck’s path to avoid a collision.
Police said the suspect drove through three precincts and that investigators are still piecing together the details. The department will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon.
The incident occurred on the same day that a federal jury began weighing whether to impose the death penalty on Sayfullo Saipov, the extremist who intentionally drove a truck down a New York City bike path in 2017, killing eight people.
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said on Twitter that he has been briefed on the incident. Governor Kathy Hochul also said on Twitter she has been briefed.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Josie Kao)
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NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York police took a driver into custody on Monday after he drove a truck into at least one pedestrian while attempting to evade officers during a traffic stop in the city’s Brooklyn borough, the New York City Police Department said.
WABC-TV reported that at least four people were injured, citing law enforcement sources, including a man in his 30s who was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being struck by the U-Haul rental vehicle.
The truck driver also struck three men on mopeds who suffered minor injuries, the station reported.
Justin Brannan, a city councilman who represents southern Brooklyn, said on Twitter, “We think he hit at least 6 people with the truck and 2 are in very bad shape. PLEASE pray for these folks.”
A video clip aired on ABC showed a truck narrowly missing a pedestrian on a sidewalk, with a police cruiser in hot pursuit. The pedestrian had to jump out of the truck’s path to avoid a collision.
Police said the suspect drove through three precincts and that investigators are still piecing together the details. The department will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon, WABC said.
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said on Twitter that he has been briefed on the incident. Governor Kathy Hochul also said on Twitter she has been briefed.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Josie Kao)
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