MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Cellphone video obtained by PIX11 News shows the driver trying to make a getaway.
After jumping on the sidewalk, he tries to back out but is surrounded by police.
Police say the man behind the wheel sent them on a wild chase just after 1 a.m. New Year’s Day and plowed through several blocks, striking nine people, including a police officer, before crashing into the Chirp restaurant on West 34th Street near 9th Avenue.
This is not the way owner Boris Torres planned on starting the new year.
“This whole front is gone. It is pretty much destroyed. We saw a lot of car debris all over the sidewalk here,” said Torres.
The NYPD said it started a few blocks away where the 44-year-old man got into a fight. When officers tried to calm the situation, they say he jumped in his car driving the wrong way and it went downhill from there.
Several cop cars were struck, as well as a restaurant awning, and a food truck, where a 39-year-old woman was pinned. The driver only stops once he realizes he is outnumbered by police, who surround his car and take him in.
“A message for the driver, I have not even gotten there yet. I am not even thinking about that guy yet,” said Torres.
The restaurant owner is too focused on his repairs to stay angry.
His restaurant has been around for 5 years and despite the property damage, he still opened in time to finish his first catering order of the year. Torres is glad the business was closed, and no customers or staff were there at the time.
“I am looking at the glass half full.”
The pedestrians were taken to area hospitals. There is no update on their condition.
The driver is in critical condition and facing multiple charges.
Article From:
pix11.com
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