NEW YORK, NY – A deadly rampage by a 62-year-old Nevada man driving a U-Haul truck through the streets of Brooklyn ended with one person dead and several injured.
Police in New York City have arrested a U-Haul truck driver accused of deliberately plowing into pedestrians on Monday, injuring at least eight people before officers chased him down and stopped the vehicle, authorities said.
The man was identified today as Weng Sor, a Las Vegas native. He was charged with murder and multiple charges of attempted murder and assault.
Here’s What Happened:
- At approximately 10:17 am, the vehicle struck a 36-year-old male in the vicinity of 4 Avenue and 55 Street. The victim sustained injuries to his leg and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.
- At approximately 10:30 am, the vehicle struck a 33-year-old male in the vicinity of 5 Avenue and Senator Street. The victim sustained injuries to his torso and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.
- At approximately 10:31 am, the vehicle struck male and a 30-year-old male in the vicinity of Bay Ridge Parkway and 7 Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his leg and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.
- At approximately 10:36 am, the vehicle struck a 51-year-old male in the vicinity of Bay Ridge Parkway and 12 Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his head and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.
- At approximately 10:38 am, the vehicle struck a 44-year-old male in the vicinity of Bay Ridge Parkway and 5 Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his head and was removed to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
- At approximately 10:50 am, the vehicle struck a 38-year-old male in the vicinity of Bay Ridge Parkway and 7 Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his ankle and was removed to an area hospital in stable.
- At approximately 11:05 am, the vehicle struck a 33-year-old Police Officer and a 32-year-old male in the vicinity of 72 Street and 3 Avenue. The officer sustained injuries to his leg while the 32-year-old male sustained injuries to his head and torso. Both males were removed an area hospital in stable condition.
- At approximately 11:05 am, the vehicle struck a 66-year-old male in the vicinity of 73 Street and 3 Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his neck and knee and was transported to an area hospital in stable.
The “violent rampage” through the Bay Ridge neighborhood of New York’s Brooklyn borough left two victims hospitalized in critical condition and two in serious condition, city Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters on Monday afternoon, standing in front of the intersection where the truck was halted.
Four others sustained minor injuries, she said, adding that a police officer was among those who were hurt.
As of late Monday afternoon, police had not publicly identified the suspect. But the New York Times, citing two senior law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity, gave the driver’s name as Weng Sor.
NBC reported he is 62 years old. Reuters was not able to independently verify the driver’s identity.
Shortly after the arrest, Justin Brannan, a city council member who represents the area, told news outlet NY1 that the incident “seemed random but was obviously on purpose.”
“This driver knew what he was doing, knew that he was hitting people,” Brannan said, adding that when the driver was pulled over, he told police, “I want to die.”
A video clip aired on WABC-TV showed a truck narrowly missing a pedestrian on a sidewalk, with a police cruiser in pursuit. The pedestrian had to jump out of the truck’s path to avoid a collision.
The incident occurred on the same day that a federal jury began weighing whether to impose the death penalty in the trial of Sayfullo Saipov, the extremist convicted of intentionally driving a truck down a New York City bike path in 2017, killing eight people.
Attorneys at the Saipov penalty proceedings briefly discussed the Brooklyn U-Haul rampage while the jury was out of the courtroom. Defense lawyers asked for a mistrial, saying news of the latest incident could be prejudicial to jurors. The judge denied the motion.
Police did not suggest any connection between the two incidents.
“At this time, we have no indication that there is any terrorism involvement in this incident,” Sewell said of Monday’s violence.
Both Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul were briefed on the incident, officials said.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Jonathan Allen, Sharon Bernstein and Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Josie Kao)
Officers stopped the U-Haul in the vicinity of Columbia Street and Hamilton Avenue where a 62 year-old male was taken into custody. Charges pending.
The identity of the deceased is pending family notification.