NYPD: Suspect at large after crashing into officer, outdoor dining structure while fleeing police in Manhattan
NEW YORK - Police are searching for a driver accused of injuring an officer while fleeing a traffic stop in Manhattan.
It led to a dangerous chase spanning several blocks during the Wednesday evening commute.
The officer was hospitalized with several injuries, including head trauma, but he has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery.
Broken chairs, tables and shattered glass are among all that's left of Wine30's outdoor dining area in Murray Hill.
"I'm glad no one was hurt. That's all we care at the moment," owner Volkan Muti told CBS2.
Muti said his staff was preparing for dinner around 5 p.m. when they heard a loud commotion out front.
"Me and a couple of my employees, we come outside and saw black car surrounded, bunch of police officers. Next thing, the vehicles starts moving backwards, front, and started hitting other vehicles," he said.
No one was sitting in the area when the man behind the wheel of a black Cadillac came pummeling through, as he sped away from police.
Seventy-four-year-old Maryann Lenzi's blue sedan was one of the cars damaged.
"If we were in the car later, I could have been killed because I was on the passenger side," she said.
It's still partially on the sidewalk, waiting to be towed.
"It is an inconvenience. It's terrible 'cause Joseph uses it, we go to the doctor," Lenzi said.
Brendan Gardner, owner of the Mason Jar, spent Thursday cleaning up and boarding up.
"It was Wednesday Happy Hour. Thank God nobody was sitting outside here. Normally, they are," he said. "There's a lot of damage. This has to be removed, doors gotta be replaced, front of the store."
Gardner believes the damage with cost a few thousand dollars to fix.
"It's up there, lot of money," he said.
Watch Zinnia Maldonado's report
The NYPD said it all started when officers tried to make a traffic stop at 38th Street and 7th Avenue, but the driver took off. We've learned he was initially being stopped for an improper lane change, failure to signal and unregistered New York plates.
Police later spotted the car at Madison Avenue and 30th Street.
Investigators say the driver slammed on the gas, backing up as he tried to get away. That's when he hit the officer.
"Both sides of the car had smashed windows. The windshield was smashed," Murray Hill resident Stephan Hanzlik said.
The car was then seen weaving down 30th Street, barreling onto the sidewalk and crashing into the dining area, right before taking down a street sign and a fire hydrant. It eventually came to a stop when it hit another car at 30th Street and Lexington Avenue.
That's when the driver, who's described as a middle-aged man with a green mohawk, ran away.
"We heard a loud crash," said Upper East Side resident Monisha Rana. "We went on the terrace and just saw massive police cars coming from everywhere, people running."
"I almost got ran over," said Daniel Nabavian, who works in the area. "Whoever did this could potentially just be doing it again literally as we speak."
Police said the suspect was seen with a firearm inside his car.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
