At least eight people were injured in New York on Monday when a man drove a van into pedestrians. The New York police report that the driver is suspected of deliberately running into passers-by and has been arrested. A “terrorist” motive has been ruled out for the time being.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) was called Monday morning after a driver of a rental van hit several pedestrians in the Brooklyn borough. Officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued on his way and hit several other people before he could finally be arrested.
A total of seven people and a police officer were injured. Two of the injured are in critical condition in hospital, while two others are in serious condition. Three of the injured were riding small mopeds, police said.
“There is no evidence of terrorist involvement in this case,” NYPD Chief Keechant Sewell said at a brief press conference in Brooklyn. But “we know very little about this case at this point,” the chief of the New York City Police Department added.
New York City Councilman Justin Brannan told a NY1 newscast that there was no doubt about the suspect’s motives. “The incident looked like an accident, but was clearly on purpose. The driver knew exactly what he was doing.” During his arrest, according to Brannan, the man even told the police that he ‘wanted to die’.
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