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Photos: Hummer Hits People, Bus, Taxi, Restaurant In Chelsea
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 18, 2012
Modified Sep 18, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 18, 2012
Modified Sep 18, 2012
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A police chase involving a possibly stolen black Hummer this afternoon in Chelsea has sent eight people to the hospital—four of them in serious condition, according to the FDNY. In addition to the human toll, the 23rd Street insanity left a bus, a taxi, the hummer and a barbecue restaurant seriously damaged.
The NYPD press office isn't sharing any information on the incident just yet—they are still waiting for details from the scene to come in, they say—but here's what we do know: Between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m. police were seen chasing a black hummer down 23rd Street after he drove the wrong way on Sixth Avenue. While being chased, the Hummer managed to sideswipe a bus, slam into an SUV taxi and then crash into the RUB BBQ restaurant, hitting a number of people along the way. Though there were early reports that the perp managed to get away in a cab, it now seems he was arrested on the spot (as was confirmed by the talented Gothamist reader who sent in the above aerial photos of the scene).
According to the FDNY, eight patients total were dealt with on the scene at 23rd and Seventh Avenue. Four in serious condition, four with minor injuries. Five of them were taken to Bellevue, two were taken to Beth-Israel and one was released at the scene. At least three were injured on the bus and one of the victims was injured by falling debris coming off of RUB.
Meanwhile, in an interesting twist, A Great Big City says that some onlookers report the Hummer was stolen from Jay-Z's 40/40 Club two blocks away—where President Obama should be later tonight.
Update: That Obama twist was too good to be true: "Police said the thug had just swiped the car as it was about to be parked at a nearby garage, where two women were dropping it off. While the parking-lot attendant was giving the women their ticket for the vehicle after they got out, the creep got in and zoomed off, cops said." A tipster writes in to add: "I was just outside Stumptown at 2:20 or thereabouts when I saw the Hummer take off. The parking lot attendant took off after him running towards Broadway screaming for help as someone had stolen the car. The lot he started on was on 29th near Broadway."
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