New York — A driver rammed into police on a sidewalk in midtown Manhattan Sunday night, injuring eight people.
Cellphone video shows the out-of-control Mercedes trying to elude NYPD officers, who eventually cornered the car near West 34th Street and Ninth Avenue.
The driver crashed into an outdoor dining shed at the Peruvian restaurant Chirp, then reversed and crashed into another car before authorities arrived.
“That's when the guards mob the car and stop the guy from doing any more damage,” said Boris Torres, the restaurant's owner.
The chase began around 1:30 a.m. Monday, when police tried to intervene during an argument at the corner of 33rd and Seventh.
According to police, the 44-year-old man sped away when officers approached. They said he hit several cars and people while driving the wrong way on 34th Street, eventually crashing into a sidewalk.
A police officer and a 39-year-old woman trapped under the food truck were among the injured.
“It's crazy. It's not the first time it's happened here on New Year's. It happened to us maybe three years ago. Not one car, but someone robbed several stores,” Torres said. He was seriously injured in an accident on Monday.
Torres said thieves stole her cash register last New Year's Eve. At the moment, his restaurant's awning has been destroyed and he doesn't know when the building department will allow him to reopen.
“I don't know if it's my insurance or the car's insurance. I have to go to campus to get the report,” she said.
The driver was arrested and taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. Charges were pending.
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