New York truck strikes pedestrians, driver in custody

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.

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