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NYPD dashcam video shows Queens-Midtown Tunnel pursuit of "ghost plate" suspect

"Ghost plate" suspect chased through Queens-Midtown Tunnel
"Ghost plate" suspect chased through Queens-Midtown Tunnel 00:28

NEW YORK -- A for-hire driver taking three women to a medical appointment led New York City officers on a chase through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel during rush hour, according to NYPD.

Officers tried pulling over the man's Jeep during an operation targeting vehicles with "ghost plates" on the Queens side of the tunnel at around 9 a.m. Thursday, police said.

The driver took off and entered the tunnel with officers in pursuit, police said.

Officers in the tunnel boxed the driver in, video shows

NYPD dashcam video shows officers maneuvering around the Jeep and boxing the driver in. The driver, identified as a 33-year-old man from the Bronx, was eventually forced to stop.

Police said the man's Jeep had active registration suspensions for unpaid tolls and parking tickets, a fraudulent paper license plate that was purportedly issued in Georgia and was uninsured at the time.

Police said the man's license had been suspended seven times. He was later charged with assaulting a police officer, unlawful imprisonment and reckless endangerment.

The women, who are from Westchester and Putnam counties, told police they called a medical transport company to book a ride to an appointment in Manhattan that morning. 

They were treated for minor injuries at a hospital in Westchester, police said.

Two officers reportedly suffered minor injuries while trying to arrest the driver in the tunnel. 

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