In a harrowing event in Astoria, Queens, a 46-year-old unlicensed driver named Harold Vega has been charged with numerous offenses following a devastating collision with a bicyclist. The episode unfolded on Wednesday around 4:30 p.m. when NYPD officers attempted to pull Vega over for driving a gray Nissan Altima with an obscured Connecticut license plate at the intersection of 32nd Street and 31st Avenue.
Defying law enforcement orders, Vega accelerated away, instigating a high-speed chase that led to him striking a 39-year-old bicyclist mere blocks away, on Crescent Street. The impact left the victim critically injured and lying in the middle of the street. Vega did not stop to render aid and continued his attempted escape.
The pursuit came to an end in Astoria Park, approximately one mile from where the crash occurred. Meanwhile, emergency medical services hurriedly transported the wounded cyclist to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Vega, who was found to be driving without a valid license or insurance, now faces a litany of charges, including reckless endangerment, fleeing from an officer, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an accident, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating without insurance, and driving with an obscured license plate. The latter offense triggered the tragic sequence of events.
Source: Yahoo! Voices
