Driver fleeing police hits cyclist in Greenwich Village, NYPD says
NEW YORK -- A cyclist is recovering in the hospital after being struck by a car being pursued by police on Tuesday night in Greenwich Village.
Police said a 54-year-old woman riding a bike off to the side of West Houston between MacDougal and Sullivan streets was struck by a grey sedan.
"She couldn't even talk. I saw so much blood ... her hand bended, her leg bended like that," witness Saha Asim said.
Not far behind the sedan was an NYPD vehicle. The sedan was seen turning the wrong way onto MacDougal, where police say the driver ditched the car and ran.
"There was a car facing the wrong way," said Jerry Leonardi, manager of Villa Mosconi. "A lot of police all over the place and they had Bleecker Street blocked off."
The 30-year-old driver was hit with a stun gun and taken into custody. Police said he has five prior arrests.
"We heard the Taser go off," witness Bradley Umane said. "Then we lost him. Then we saw the cop run back down this way."
It all began on East 3rd Street. A high-ranking NYPD source told CBS New York an officer monitoring a live camera saw what appeared to be a man with a gun get into a vehicle, so he dispatched a unit. Officers tried to pull the car over but it took off. At one point, the passenger got out and ran, but was captured a short time later.
Police said the 26-year-old man was on parole for a gun crime, is a known gang member, and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time.
While that was going on, an officer in the area who heard the description of the vehicle spotted it on West Houston and pursued.
Police sources said no gun was recovered. They suspect it was ditched.
Sources said a reminder was sent to officers from the chief of patrol just last week about pursuits, refreshing them on the policy. There has been an increase in police pursuits as they've gone after illegal and stolen vehicles.
Earlier this month, 10 people were injured after the driver of a stolen car fled police on the East Side.
As for this latest incident, the cyclist is in critical but stable condition.
The Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the incident.
