U-Haul driver saw 'object' before deadly rampage: police
CTV
A U-Haul driver who veered onto sidewalks and rammed into bicyclists and moped riders Monday in New York City, killing one person and injuring eight, claimed he started mowing down people after seeing an 'invisible object' coming toward the truck, police said Tuesday.
A U-Haul driver who veered onto sidewalks and rammed into bicyclists and moped riders Monday in New York City, killing one person and injuring eight, claimed he started mowing down people after seeing an "invisible object" coming toward the truck, police said Tuesday.
Weng Sor, 62, was charged Tuesday with murder and attempted murder in the rampage, which spanned 48 minutes and a large swath of Brooklyn's bustling Bay Ridge neighborhood. Police were able to pin the truck against a building after a miles-long chase. Authorities were still considering charges related to a police officer who was hurt.
Sor, whose family and court records portray as a troubled man with a history of violence and mental illness, told police that once he saw the invisible object he'd "had enough" and began plowing into people, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said during a Tuesday news conference. Once stopped, Essig said Sor told officers they should've shot him.
"We believe Mr. Sor was suffering from a mental health crisis," Essig said, reiterating that there is no evidence of a connection to terrorism.
Sor remained in police custody Tuesday. He was expected to be arraigned in court on the charges late Tuesday or on Wednesday. Court records did not list a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.
The U-Haul struck three people on mopeds, three people on bicycles, one person on an e-bike and one person who was on foot, police said. The truck also rammed into a police car, injuring the officer inside. The victims ranged in age from 30 to 66.
A 44-year-old man riding a moped died from a head injury after he was hit by the truck roughly a half hour after it struck the first victim. Mayor Eric Adams said the man, whose name has not been made public, was a single father "raising those children on his own."
