U-Haul Driver Apprehended After Hitting 9 Pedestrians in Locations Across Brooklyn, Killing One (Update)

At least eight people, including one police officer, were injured by a man driving a U-Haul rental van in New York City today reports News 12. Thankfully, no one was killed, but two of the people who were hit are said to be in critical condition. The driver led police on a chase over multiple miles that only ended when they were able to pin the van against the wall of a building.

(Update, Feb 14, 10:35 a.m.: The Washington Post now reports that there was a ninth victim and that one of the victims, a 44-year-old man, died of a head injury after being hit.)

Read more

• These Are Your Guilty Pleasure Cars

• The 15 Most Successful Formula 1 Cars of All Time

• These Cars Should Never Have Been Killed Off

The suspect drove through Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood at about 10:30 am and reportedly ran at least one red light before hitting a delivery worker on an e-bike. He continued over the course of three miles, even swerving onto the sidewalk at one point to try to hit another pedestrian who managed to dive out of the way in time.

While police didn’t release the name of the suspect, his son identified the man as Weng Sor and said his father has a history of mental illness. “Very frequently he’ll choose to skip out on his medications and do something like this. This isn’t the first time he’s been arrested. It’s not the first time he’s gone to jail,” Stephen Sor told reporters.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described the incident as a “violent rampage through Brooklyn” but said there is currently no evidence of “terrorism involvement.” While law enforcement was initially concerned the van might have contained explosives, their search didn’t find any, and the back was completely empty.

The suspect had reportedly been living in Las Vegas for the last several years and doesn’t have a close relationship with his son. Sor said his father unexpectedly showed up late at night about a week ago. Currently, there is no information available to explain why he came back to Brooklyn or what might have motivated him, but since this is a developing story, it’s possible we’ll learn more details over the next couple of days.

More from Jalopnik

• Don't Expect Used Car Prices to Collapse Anytime Soon

• NYPD Arrests Cyclist For Uncovering Obscured License Plate, Lets Driver Go

Sign up for Jalopnik's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.