Suspect Is in Custody After U-Haul Hits and Injures Pedestrians in Brooklyn 

A person driving a U-Haul box truck hit and injured several people in a “violent rampage” in Brooklyn on Monday morning before being taken into custody, the New York Police Department said.

(Bloomberg) — A person driving a U-Haul box truck hit and injured several people in a “violent rampage” in Brooklyn on Monday morning before being taken into custody, the New York Police Department said.

Eight people were injured, with two in critical condition, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press briefing in Brooklyn. The police are still investigating the incident, but there are currently no indications that it is linked to terrorism, she said.

The suspect had been stopped by officers at around 10:50 a.m., after hitting people with the truck, Sewell said. The suspect then tried to evade the officers during a high-speed chase of several miles, striking pedestrians and one police vehicle as he fled, Sewell said. 

“Behind us is a U-Haul truck stopped successfully by the NYPD, ending a violent rampage through Brooklyn that left at least eight people injured,” Sewell said. “Those victims are now in area hospitals.” Seven of the injured are civilians, and one is a police officer, she said. 

Sewell said the police know “a very limited amount” about the suspect, and declined to release his name and age. Police and New York City emergency management officials are advising people to avoid the areas around Fourth Avenue and 55th Street, Senator Street, Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street, and Hamilton Avenue in Brooklyn, because of road closures related to the investigation. 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had “been briefed on the developing situation in Brooklyn” and that she was coordinating with the both the state police and the NYPD, and is “ready to provide any assistance needed as the investigation continues,” according to a statement posted on Twitter.

 

–With assistance from Gregory Korte and Cailley LaPara.

(Updates to add map and distance of police chase)

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