Carnage

Eyes on the Street: NYPD Cruiser Rammed in Park Slope

Courtesy of reader Joanna Oltman Smith, this was the scene in Park Slope this morning, hours after a collision between a speeding driver and NYPD officers on Fifth Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets. Details from the Brooklyn Paper:

By Brad Aaron

4:14 PM EDT on March 15, 2011

One witness said the car was doing at least 70 mph when it tore through the intersection of Sixth Street, smashing into an Impala before ricocheting into a police car that had paused in the middle of the street.
After the crash, the crazed driver, covered in white dust from the airbag, hopped out of the car and tried to stash a white plastic bag in front of Bar Reis, [Andrew] Lutes said. “His jaw was twitching, he looked out of his mind, he looked like the most unstable guy on earth,” said another witness, Cem Kurtulus.

The driver was arrested at the scene and the two officers in the cruiser were treated for minor injuries. Thankfully, no bystanders were reported hurt. Makes you wonder how much damage NYPD and other city property sustains thanks to reckless drivers.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.