Wild video captured a demolition derby in the middle of Manhattan as a driver tried to evade police, smashing through a dining shed, streets signs and everything in his path during his rampage that police said left an NYPD officer hurt.
Shocking cellphone video shows the driver of the black Cadillac plowing through midtown streets, as his path of destruction began just before 5 p.m., the height of the evening rush hour. Officers tried to pull the man over at West 38th and Eighth Avenue for an improper lane change.
They said he showed officers fake documents and then sped off, eventually ending up near East 30th Street and Park Avenue. Officers eventually caught up with him and tried getting him out of the car — but the driver then throws the vehicle into reverse, video shows, and an officer can be seen getting knocked to the ground.
Police said the officer suffered a head injury and was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he is expected to recover after receiving six stitches. It was after allegedly striking the NYPD officer that the driver zoomed forward onto the sidewalk and went straight through a wine bar's dining shed.
Another man who was in his car during the chaos said he ditched his vehicle for safety's sake.
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"I already had the feeling he wasn’t going to stop, so I got out just in case so I don’t get hurt. I left the car in the middle of the street, he impacted a few cars around me," said Alfredo Mota, whose car was damaged during the ordeal.
The trail of debris stretched for blocks, as the rampaging driver knocked down traffic signs and toppled a fire hydrant as well during the mayhem that ended in thousands of dollars in damage. He eventually ditched the car took off running, and Chopper 4 showed the search for the suspect in a building.
But so far, the suspect has yet to be found. Police sources identified the driver as 56-year-old Benjamin Abrams. The car he was driving had temporary Michigan plates, but Abrams has a North Carolina driver's license.
Police sources also said the suspect has dozens of prior arrests and is currently out on parole following a narcotics violation.
