Wild Police Chase On Manhattan's East Side Shocks Witnesses
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An attempted police stop on the East Side of Manhattan on Thursday turned into a wild chase, leaving people on the street running for safety.
At least one suspect was taken into custody and the NYPD was searching a crime scene that is spread out over more than 10 blocks, CBS2's Cory James sported.
Video obtained by CBS 2 has no sound, but the footage tells part of the story. A man and woman narrowly escaped the wrath of an erratic driver, leading police on a dangerous chase near the southwest corner of 46th Street and Second Avenue.
Authorities said not too far away the driver hit a 36-year-old man and 19-year-old man on a motorcycle.
"It was crazy," Hulya Cal said.
Cal walked out of her restaurant and saw one of them on the ground.
"He was not moving. We shocked. We were like what the (expletive) is going on?" she said.
According to police, the driver kept going, hitting a parked car and tossing a gun out of the window. But at 44th and Second the driver stopped and four people got out and took off running. A man named Demetrius said he did not see the suspects take off, but did see their damaged vehicle.
"It was beat up pretty bad. I didn't know if it was being chased or not," Demetrius said. "Honestly, I didn't even know what was going on. So for me to be scared, I couldn't even say that. I didn't even know what was going on. It was very quiet."
The NYPD said one of the suspects was quickly caught -- video shows him sitting in the back of a patrol car -- while his three other alleged accomplices kept going.
Some witnesses said they were surprised a police pursuit that came close to injuring two pedestrians happened in the area.
"It's crazy. Wow, I hope everybody's safe, you know," Demetrius said.
Initially, police told CBS2 the suspects were involved in an armed robbery, but that turned out to not be the case. Police later said the suspects were in a car where officers believe there was an illegal firearm.
As for the two people on the motorcycle, one had minor injuries and the other suffered a broken leg, James reported.
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