Two Pedestrians are Struck, One Killed, in Horrific Crashes in Brooklyn and Queens

Two pedestrians were struck, and one was killed, in separate crashes on Thursday — and in both cases, the drivers were charged.

The first crash, at around 1:40 p.m., in Brooklyn, was a horrifying cascade of carnage. According to police, Danzel Mackins, 29, was driving his 2005 Ford Expedition eastbound on Gates Avenue near Marcus Garvey Boulevard, where he struck a 2007 Chevrolet Impala being driven by a 69-year-old man, who had been heading southbound on Marcus Garvey.

The Impala then slammed into two parked cars, while Mackins's SUV continued further on Gates, jumped the curb, and struck a 77-year-old pedestrian. She was taken to Kings County Hospital, where she is in serious condition [Update: An earlier report mistakenly said she had died]. Mackins was arrested by federal authorities — yes, the feds — for unspecified "narcotics and firearms offenses," said Southern District spokesman Nicholas Biase. Mackins, he added was "detained in Manhattan federal court [on Friday] afternoon. No further details are available at this time."

The NYPD did not respond to a question about whether it would charge Mackins with anything related to the crash, such as reckless driving or speeding.

The second crash was at around 7:45 p.m. According to police, Joseph Cappella, 46, drove his 2007 Cadillac Escalade into a 57-year-old pedestrian near the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Rentar Plaza in the terrible, dangerous stretch in Middle Village, Queens.

Police declined to give more details about the crash, but said Cappella was driving without a license. The name of the victim has not been released.

The area of this crash is well known for danger, even though half of the stretch of Metropolitan Avenue between Fresh Pond Road and 69th Street fronts cemeteries. Nonetheless, last year, there were 34 reported crashes on just those seven blocks, injuring three cyclists, one pedestrian and 10 motorists.

There was also this near-miss in Marine Park, Brooklyn, on Friday morning, just a few blocks from where a pedestrian was reported yesterday by NYPD to have died in a December crash.