BAY RIDGE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A U-Haul driver allegedly sped through Bay Ridge on Monday morning, killing one person and injuring several others, officials said.
Officers first responded to a 911 call around 10:50 a.m., NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. Police did not engage with the U-Haul until after people had been struck, according to Sewell. The alleged driver was ultimately stopped and taken into custody by police at Columbia Street and Hamilton Avenue, near the entrance to the Battery Park Tunnel.
“Behind us is a U-Haul truck stopped successfully by the NYPD, ending a violent rampage through Brooklyn that left at least eight people injured,” Sewell said.
Police didn’t immediately release the alleged driver’s name, but his son identified him as Weng Sor, and told The Associated Press he had a history of mental illness. Court records show Weng Sor was sentenced to one to three years in a Nevada prison for stabbing his brother in Las Vegas in 2015.
Police were processing evidence at seven different scenes in Bay Ridge, the commissioner said. The NYPD released a timeline of when and where people were injured:
- 10:17 a.m., Fourth Avenue and 55th Street: a 36-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his leg
- 10:19 a.m., Fifth Avenue and Senator Street: a 34-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his torso
- 10:31 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and Seventh Avenue: a 30-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his leg
- 10:36 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and 12th Avenue: a 51-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his head
- 10:48 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and Fifth Avenue: a 44-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his head. This man later died at the hospital. He has not yet been publicly identified.
- 10:50 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and Seventh Avenue: a 38-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his ankle
- 11:05 a.m., 72nd Street and Third Avenue: a 33-year-old police officer and a 32-year-old man were stuck. The officer’s leg was injured and the man suffered injuries to his head and torso
- 11:05 a.m., 73rd Street and Third Avenue: a 66-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his neck and knee
A PIX11 review of surveillance footage shows pedestrians being hit in several locations. A cyclist was hit on Fifth Avenue near Bay Ridge Parkway. A few blocks away along Third Avenue, several more people were hit. The U-Haul driver also hopped the curb and drove along the sidewalk.
An NYPD vehicle pursued the U-Haul onto the sidewalk. Video of that pursuit is under investigation, according to Sewell, who declined to further comment on the officer’s actions.
New York City’s Emergency Management Department advised people to avoid the areas near Fourth Avenue and 55th Street, Senator Street and Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street and Hamilton Avenue.
After the “rampage,” two were critically injured and two suffered serious injuries, Sewell said. Four others suffered minor injuries. One of the wounded was identified as an officer who was taking police action at the time.
The U-Haul hit-and-runs happened as a jury started death penalty deliberations in another case in Manhattan. In that case, Sayfullo Saipov intentionally mowed down pedestrians in Manhattan. Sewell, when asked about any ties between the cases, said it was too early to comment.
“At this time, we have no indication that there is any terrorism involvement,” Sewell said.
Officials have not yet publicly identified the suspect in Monday’s incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
