MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A male driver was charged with a litany of charges after ramming a stolen car into other vehicles and injuring ten pedestrians during a dramatic police chase in Midtown Manhattan. The 20-year-old Kyle Fernandez is charged with reckless endangerment, possession of stolen property, operating a motor vehicle while on drugs, resisting arrest, and other offenses in connection with the chaos that took place on Tuesday, August 1.
The mayhem ended when good Samaritans tackled the evading driver to the ground and restrained him there until police arrived, reports New York Post. The 20-year-old is shown on the ground in images. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, as per CBS. "I see the red car. The police behind. He speed pass the bus and hit the yellow cab," Carlos Cabrera told the outlet. "And from the yellow cab he hit him. He got on the sidewalk and hit the people who was on the street."
Who is Kyle Fernandez?
The 20-year-old Kyle Fernandez, who injured ten pedestrians during a police pursuit in Midtown Manhattan by smashing a stolen automobile into several other vehicles, was recently charged with a number of charges. The chaos started during the evening rush hour close to Grand Central Terminal at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and East 42nd Street as police attempted to pull over a maroon Hyundai Tucson that had been reported stolen from the Bronx on Monday. According to law enforcement officials, the SUV with Illinois license plates drove off instead of stopping, and officers pursued it while traveling slowly due to heavy traffic.
Substance described as green and leafy were discovered
The Hyundai, reportedly driven by Fernandez, struck a bicyclist and a yellow taxi before jumping a curb and slamming into a crowd of pedestrians at the crossing, according to police. The pursuit came to an end when the SUV turned onto Lexington the wrong way and collided head-on with a black SUV, according to police. The driver, 20, attempted to flee the damaged SUV, as seen in a video obtained by The New York Post but was stopped by onlookers who held him until police arrived to take him into custody. Sources claimed that the front passenger seat of the Hyundai was where suspected drug paraphernalia and a baggie containing a substance described as green and leafy were discovered.
Ten pedestrians were hurt
Ten people were hurt in the violent incident, including two kids, aged 6 and 10. An ankle fracture was the most severe injury, and the majority of victims only suffered scrapes and neck and back soreness. One severely injured person was bleeding on the ground, according to eyewitness Michael Discioarro. "Another victim was laid up against the door of a store," he told New York Post. "She was clearly hurt … Her leg was twisted in a way you shouldn’t twist a leg."
According to police sources, Fernandez has a history of arrests and one active case in Manhattan. He was arrested on January 16 and accused of robbery, assault, and criminal mischief. This matter is still open. He has also been arrested in the past for drug and gun possession-related offenses, as per CBS New York. "When you catch them and release them, what do you expect? There are no repercussions. These guys think this is a free-for-all," according to Shashi Sharma, a nearby employee. "We all are New Yorkers. You can't just hide your head in the sand and have someone get hurt or killed. You have to take action," he added.
