The driver managed to escape and remains at large after nearly hitting pedestrians and injuring a police officer
by Sebastien Bell
April 20, 2023 at 21:15
by Sebastien Bell
One police officer was injured after the driver of a black Cadillac fled a traffic stop, driving over sidewalks and through patios in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. The traffic stop took place just before 5:00 p.m. on 30th Street between Madison and Park Avenues, police said.
Video shared by CBS News’ Alicia Reid shows the driver stopped on the street with several police cars behind him, and two officers standing at a distance from the car. The Cadillac accelerates suddenly, turning to the left around another black vehicle blocking the road.
The car then drives through the outdoor dining structure of a restaurant, blasting through several panels, and nearly hitting a pedestrian who was walking by at the time. The car continues along the sidewalk before jumping back onto the street.
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It’s not long before the Cadillac is back on the sidewalk, as it understeers across 30th Street and onto the opposite sidewalk, hitting a street sign and what appears to be a fire hydrant. It then speeds across an intersection, narrowly missing several pedestrians who were waiting at the lights.
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Other videos show the car crashing into several parked vehicles as police officers attempt to break the glass on the vehicle’s passenger side. The Cadillac in question was eventually found later on Wednesday night, abandoned on East 31st Street, near Lexington Avenue, reports the New York Post. The driver is presumed to have escaped on foot, and remains at large.
In the chaos, one police officer was forced to jump out of the way of the fleeing vehicle. He hit his head on the way down, police said, leading to a concussion. No other injuries are reported as a result of this incident.
Police did not confirm why the driver was being pulled over in the first place, but reports suggest that they may have been using a fake license plate.