Man charged in Brooklyn police chase, crash that left 7 hurt

EAST FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A man has been charged after seven people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash in Brooklyn on Monday.

Diego Williams, 20, of Brooklyn, is charged with reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer and various motor vehicle and traffic violations.

Just after 4:30 p.m., at Farragut Road and Albany Avenue in East Flatbush, police attempted a traffic stop on a black BMW at Ditmas Avenue near Coventry Road. The police were in plain clothes and drove an unmarked patrol car. As the officers stepped out of their patrol car, the driver fled the scene, they said.

Police said they were stopping the car due to a moving violation for disobeying pavement markings. They caught up with Williams at Clarendon Road and Kings Highway, where they blocked his vehicle with their police cruiser.

But police said Williams crashed through the cruiser and continued south on Kings Highway.

According to the New York City Police Department, he then crashed into two more cars near Albany Avenue and Farragut Road, sending a Toyota SUV and Mercedes Benz careening into a row of parked vehicles, including a school bus.

Williams got out and ran north on Albany Avenue, police said, where he was caught by police at the corner of Foster Avenue.

A total of seven people were hurt, and six suffered minor injuries. A 56-year-old man inside the Toyota SUV was seriously injured. They were all taken to Kings County Hospital.