Defense Asks Prosecution To Turn Over Video Of Times Square SUV Attacker
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The man accused of mowing down pedestrians in Times Square last May – killing one and injuring 22 – appeared in court Monday.
As WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported, a dozen family members were in the courtroom as Richard Rojas, 27, and his attorney asked that prosecutors turn over disturbing video of the victims lying on the sidewalk, and still photos of Rojas in the aftermath of the rampage.
That material, he was told by the prosecutor, is available on YouTube.
The defense said Rojas, a former Navy officer, struggled with mental illness that went untreated. The prosecutor was granted two months to have a doctor conduct an evaluation.
Police say Rojas steered his sport-utility vehicle onto a sidewalk at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue and hit the gas. The May 18, 2017 rampage killed 18-year-old Alyssa Elsman, a tourist from Michigan, and injured 22 other people.
