U-Haul driver charged with murder in alleged Brooklyn rampage that left 1 person dead
The alleged driver of a U-Haul truck that plowed into cyclists, pedestrians and two police officers, in an incident authorities called a "violent rampage" through Brooklyn earlier this year, was indicted Monday on murder and attempted murder charges.
Weng Sor, a 62-year-old former resident of Las Vegas, is accused of intentionally driving the truck into people at multiple locations in the borough's Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Sunset Park neighborhoods on Feb. 13, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
One person was killed, and 11 others, including the two police officers, were injured after being struck by the U-Haul, police said at the time. Authorities later identified the victim who died as YiJie Ye, a 44-year-old father of three, who suffered head injuries after being hit by the U-Haul while riding an electric bike. Others suffered a variety of injuries, including rib fractures, a pelvic fracture, broken legs and various injuries to the head, ankle and knee, authorities said. Some required surgery.
The subsequent police investigation looked at surveillance footage in the area, which allegedly showed Sor operating the U-Haul truck as it traversed southwestern Brooklyn "and struck numerous e-bike riders and a bicyclist and endangered pedestrians, motorists and people waiting to cross the street," the district attorney said. Witnesses, who saw the alleged 45-minute rampage taking place that morning, corroborated what investigators gleaned from the footage.
At one of at least seven sites where the U-Haul crashed into people, Sor allegedly drove the truck onto a sidewalk and hit a pedestrian. He is also accused of driving the U-Haul toward a responding police officer, who was hit and injured by an electric bike that was being dragged by the truck.
Sor was arraigned in Brooklyn on Monday on a 25-count indictment. He faces charges for second-degree murder, first and second-degree attempted murder, first and second-degree assault and first-degree attempted assault, according to the district attorney. He is currently being held without bond and scheduled to appear again in court on May 31.