A 28-year-old Brooklyn man faces a litany of charges for allegedly fleeing a traffic stop in Queens earlier this month and barreling into three pedestrians, including a mother and toddler she had been pushing in a stroller, prosecutors say.
Tyshawn Baldwin was arraigned Wednesday on a 17-count complaint charging him with assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful fleeing a police officer, endangering the welfare of a child, obstructing governmental administration and other vehicle-related offenses in the Aug. 10 incident that started at the intersection of Wyckoff Avenue and Decatur Street.
Court papers say Baldwin had been driving a 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat with loud exhaust and dark rear tinted windows when officers saw him proceed to the busy commercial intersection at George Street and park his vehicle. Cops activated their police lights and ordered Baldwin back in the car. They say he complied and handed over his documents.
A computer check revealed Baldwin's license had been suspended a week earlier, according to the criminal complaint, and cops told him to get out of the vehicle again. That's when prosecutors allege the Brooklyn man started the car, revved the engine and drove the Durango at a high rate of speed away from the cops -- and into the pedestrians. The mother and 2-year-old child who were hit were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries.
The third victim, a 35-year-old man, suffered a more serious injury to his leg. There was no immediate update on his condition Wednesday.
Surveillance video obtained days after the collision showed the moment of impact. It sent the mother flying into the side of a nearby parked car and left another man with a nasty leg injury, as the driver allegedly took off from the Ridgewood intersection where he had been stopped by NYPD officers minutes earlier.
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Baldwin is expected back in court later this week. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
"The complete disregard for public safety in this case is shameful," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement announcing the charges. "As alleged, the defendant was operating a vehicle with a suspended license when he struck and injured three pedestrians, including a young child – all while callously fleeing a traffic stop. Driving is a privilege and every single person who gets behind the wheel of a car bears an individual responsibility to drive safely."
Baldwin's attorney, Kenneth Belkin, says there's more to the story than the narrative shared by police and urged against a rush to judgment.
"I urge the public to keep an open mind with respect to this case and remember my client is still presumed innocent," Belkin said. "The only version of events out there is the NYPD's version of events and there's more to this story than that."
