Christabel Duah
Police have arrested the two men they say are behind the shocking car dragging of an NYPD officer in Times Square.
Videos by Rare
A jaw dropping video emerged late Saturday of Officer Ian Wallace attempting to stop a Mercedes Benz in the busy intersection. The Mercedes took off with Wallace standing in front of the car, and he was dragged on the hood of the vehicle and knocked to the ground. In the reckless escape, the Mercedes reportedly clipped several other cars in the area, reported the New York Daily News.
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“I give him a lot of credit,” said Chief of Manhattan South Detectives William Aubry of Ofc. Wallace. “He’s a courageous officer. He’s doing well, but he’s not back at work yet.”
Arfhy Santos, 20, and William Lopez, 24, were taken into police custody on Wednesday after reportedly attempting to jump out of a Harlem building’s third-floor window.
Investigators believe that Santos was the driver. Investigators are looking to confirm whether or not Lopez, the owner of the Mercedes, was in the vehicle during the incident. While charges are currently pending against the men, authorities are treating the incident seriously.
“They tried to escape. They don’t surrender. They use the vehicle as a weapon,” Aubry said.
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Lopez and Santos are reportedly members of a car club and have pending criminal cases against them, including a charge of unlawfully fleeing a police officer. Lopez allegedly modified his car with a feature that would hide his rear license plate at the push of a button, according to the Daily News.
https://twitter.com/NYCityAlerts/status/953760597119766533
A Brooklyn driver named Shreaf (he declined to give his last name) was originally arrested early Wednesday after troopers tailed his car and mistakenly identified him as the culprit of the hit-and-run. In a dramatic arrest, the driver was swarmed by police and cuffed before being released after two hours in jail.
