Driver and passenger facing charges after bicyclist struck in Manhattan during police chase
GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Charges are pending against the driver and passenger that struck a bicyclist in Greenwich Village after allegedly refusing to pull over for police.
The 30-year-old driver and 26-year-old passenger were driving in a gray 2018 Mercedes Benz on East 3rd Street near Avenue A on Tuesday when they struck a 54-year-old woman.
Sources tell Eyewitness News that police were conducting a firearms investigation involving a group of gun suspects in Alphabet City, when an NYPD camera caught what appeared to be a firearm involving the people in the car.
That's when police swooped in to pull over the vehicle, leading to the chase.
One suspect bailed from the vehicle, ran away and was caught. Meanwhile, the driver was able to escape in the car, but was later captured.
"He hit someone on a bike, then hit the curb and he tried to get away going up the street," witness Rody Biggart said. "It was one way, he got blocked."
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The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital where she is in critical but stable condition.
Sources say the driver has five prior arrests, mostly for domestic violence.
The passenger has more than 20 arrests and is currently on parole and wearing an ankle bracelet after a previous gun charge.
Police say the pursuit never exceeded 21 miles per hour, but they're conducting a review to make sure officers stayed within policy.
The incident follows a memo sent to officers last week by Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey who wrote, "A vehicle pursuit must be terminated whenever the risk to members of the service and the public outweighs the danger to the community if the suspect is not immediately apprehended."
In this case, former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said there can be little question. Police believed they had dangerous suspects in a gun case who needed to be stopped.
"Dangerous people-- this was not a traffic stop, this was an emergency situation to get these people off the street," Boyce said.
Police say it was not a pursuit and their units broke off when the car sped away.
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