Suspect in custody after woman, dog nearly struck on Manhattan sidewalk
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- After evading authorities for three months, police say a known drug dealer and speed demon is in custody after nearly running down a woman and her dog on a sidewalk.
The August incident was captured by surveillance cameras.
"He went to extreme measures to avoid detection and to avoid any capture by the police," Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said. "It's surprising and shocking to see, and it's a miracle that the woman in that video was not hit."
The dramatic video shows a BMW allegedly driven by 20-year-old Arfhy Santos hopping the curb at the corner of East 97th Street and Park Avenue.
It happened as police were trying to stop him for the alleged sale of two kilos of fake cocaine.
Police say Santos hit an emergency vehicle that was stopped and nearly hit a woman walking her dog on the sidewalk.
"He smashed into their vehicles a couple of times to get away and then drove recklessly at 9:30 at night on a Sunday night on the Upper East Side," Brennan said.
Santos, known on the street as "Coyote," was arrested Monday coming out of a nightclub in the Bronx.
Investigators say he was in possession of three pounds of marijuana.
He had just served a 9-month sentence for racing his car through Times Square nearly two years ago, hitting a police officer multiple times.
Santos now faces multiple charges for the August incident.
In court, Santo's attorney argued that he should be given supervised release and that the charges he faces are not subject to bail under the new criminal justice and bail reform laws that go into effect January 1.
The judge, though, set a much higher bail of $100,000 and also barred Santos from driving should he be released.
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