An NYPD pursuit of a van linked to a possible child abduction ended with officers fatally shooting its driver. No child was found, while the collisions and investigation caused major traffic disruption.An NYPD pursuit of a van linked to a possible child abduction ended with officers fatally shooting its driver.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) fatally shot a suspected kidnapper on the Belt Parkway on Saturday night after he allegedly rammed into a police roadblock, hit several vehicles and refused to stop his white van, New York Post reported citing sources.The incident began when police received information about a possible kidnapping involving a small child who was heard screaming from the back of a cargo van bearing New Jersey licence plates.Officers spotted the van near Exit 8 and attempted to pull it over. However, the driver refused to stop and sped eastbound on the Belt Parkway at around 7:30 pm, sources said.An officer raced ahead of the van and set up a roadblock in an attempt to stop it.
However, the alleged kidnapper rammed into police and civilian vehicles, sources said. Officers at the scene then smashed the van's windows and used a Taser on the suspect, described by sources as a Black man in his thirties.
However, these attempts failed to stop him.Police subsequently opened fire, fatally shooting the driver. Sources said officers did not find any child inside the van.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn. Doctors pronounced him dead at around 8 pm.The incident triggered massive traffic gridlock on the Belt Parkway, with authorities shutting down both lanes to investigate the incident.Several wrecked cars, apparently struck by the suspect's van during the chase, were scattered along the roadway.
Police later questioned the drivers of the damaged vehicles as witnesses.- Ends