Wild videos captured the moments a deranged driver nearly backed into an officer, who was injured jumping out of the way, before plowing into an outdoor dining shed while fleeing a traffic stop in Midtown Wednesday night.
The chaotic scene unfolded after the driver of a black Cadillac sedan was pulled over by police on East 30th Street between Madison and Park Avenues just before 5 p.m., the NYPD said.
A police spokesperson did not immediately provide a reason for the traffic stop, but sources said the driver may have been pulled over because of a fake license plate.
[Warning: Graphic Language]
Video of the stop, shared by CBS’ New York’s Alecia Reid, shows police officers yelling commands at the driver who suddenly takes off and jumps the curb, bursting through part of a restaurant’s outdoor dining structure, sending debris flying.
One person near the dining shed can be seen jumping into the street as the vehicle narrowly misses them.
The car swerves back into the street and, with apparently little control, continues onto the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, video shows.
The driver fled a traffic stop on E. 30th Street in Midtown just before 5 p.m. Thursday Alecia Reid
The driver smashed through the end of a restaurant’s dining shed. No injuries were reported at the restaurant. Alecia ReidThe driver slams into a street sign as it approaches an intersection, sending pedestrians who were crossing the street sprinting, according to the video.
The vehicle then sped off eastbound across Park Avenue on East 30th Street, the footage shows.
Another video clip from the street behind the Cadillac shows officers trying to break the car’s driver-side windows as the driver tries to escape tight traffic.
The driver smashes into another vehicle, then reverses hard, just barely missing a male and female officer, who had to jump a curb to avoid getting hit, video shows.
“Let them go!” one bystander yells at the police. “[You’re] going to get someone hurt!”
Another voice can be heard repeatedly yelling “shoot him” as the car speeds away with loud crashes audible in the distance.
This suspect wearing all gold and sporting a mohawk is wanted in connection to the chaotic driving.
The injured police officer suffered a concussion after he hit his head while jumping out of the way of the vehicle, police and sources said.
No other injuries were reported, cops confirmed.
A witness told The Post that he saw about 15 police officers rush to the scene and a number of cops run to assist the injured officer and pull him out of the street. The witness said the officer had a visible head injury.
The car drove on the curb on both sides of the street before speeding off Eastbound on E. 30th Street. Alecia Reid
Pedestrians could be seen running across the street as the black Cadillac approached the intersection at Park Ave. Alecia ReidThe Cadillac was found later Wednesday night abandoned on East 31st Street near Lexington Avenue, police said.
The driver, who fled on foot, remained at large.
