Results tagged “roadrage”

The brazen drive-by shooting in Williamsburg yesterday apparently started as a dispute between motorists. A gunman in a green Nissam Maxima fired at 38-year-old Ramon Blas, hitting the victim once in the side as he sat inside his car sometime after 2:30 pm. Wounded, Blas managed to drive his gray BMW SUV a few blocks before colliding with a parked car at the corner of Lorimer and Ten Eyck streets. He then "staggered into the driver's compartment of a slowly moving UPS van," the Post reports. The UPS driver ran into a nearby packaging store, shouting: "Someone just got shot inside my truck," according to the Daily News.

The Daily News adds a new detail to the "road rage" arrests of Dominique Sharpton and Kathy Jordan—the daughter and ex-wife of the Reverend Al Sharpton. Apparently 23-year-old Dominque was pulled over by cops after allegedly driving through a red light, so she called her mother who "rushed to the scene to find Dominique in the back of a police car, Sharpton's attorney said." The women argued with the cops, eventually being taken to the stationhouse and charged with "disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration." Their lawyer said, "It seems they were arrested simply because they asked why the ticket was being given." The Reverend Al, aside from his Tweets yesterday, remains quiet on the issue.

According to the Post, the ex-wife and daughter of the Reverend Al Sharpton "were arrested [Friday] night after berating a pair of Harlem cops who pulled them over for running a red light in the wrong lane to get around their slow-moving, unmarked cruiser." The incident began at West 110th Street and 8th Avenue, when Dominique Sharpton, allegedly frustrated by the unmarked cruiser, "honked her horn and tailgated the vehicle" and then "furiously swerved across the double yellow line and sped through a red light to get past the cop car."

Cyclist Armando Cruz was arrested after throwing a bottle through the window of a NYC bus, raining shards of glass onto the driver. Cruz had been riding down Flushing Avenue in Bushwick when police officers ordered him to pull over due to his "unsafe manner" of biking. He attempted to pedal away, but was cut off by the bus; he then threw his bottle through the bus driver's window. That must have been one hell of a throw, one hell of a heavy bottle, or one hell of a cheap bus window. Cruz was charged with "assault, menacing, and criminal mischief."

The pitched street battle between cyclists and drivers (and pedestrians) just won't let up! Cyclist Anna Letitia Mumford says that she was punched in the face by a driver yesterday during her evening commute in Brooklyn. Here's her story:

I had just crossed the Manhattan Bridge and was biking south on the bike path on Jay Street. The traffic was backed up, but the bike lane was open. Right in front of me, a car peeled out of the traffic and began to cruise up the bike lane. At Willoughby, the light was red so the car stopped. I tapped on the trunk to let the driver know that I was trying to pass.

Continue reading "Driver Punches Cyclist in the Face After Blocking Bike Lane"

A Staten Island driver is due in court at the end of the month to face assault charges after a road rage incident with a cyclist. Unlike Fox News staffer Don Broderick, whom the Manhattan DA let off the hook despite allegations that he drove with a cyclist clinging to his hood, 27-year-old Michael Graziuso was taken away in handcuffs after this altercation, which took place at a busy Staten Island intersection on the morning of July 8th. The confrontation was sparked after cyclist Gregory DeRespino, 48, stopped in the bike lane at a red light at Capodanno Boulevard and Seaview Avenue, making it difficult for several cars lined up behind him to make a right turn.

Mark St. Pierre, the driver who injured 13 people and fatally ran over a father walking with his son in the Bronx last month, has been formally indicted on a charge of second-degree murder, and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. He appeared in court yesterday to plead not guilty to 50 counts related to the appalling road rage rampage, which resulted in 6-year-old Sebastian Colon seeing his father Miguel die before his eyes. The two had been crossing East Gun Hill Road in Baychester when St. Pierre sped toward them, leaving Colon just enough time to shove his son out of the way. A witness tells the Post that St. Pierre, who had just had a fight with his ex-girlfriend at Chuck E. Cheese, was doing "at least" 85 mph when he slammed into Colon. After the argument, he sped off in his 2008 Infiniti, crashed into two parked cars before killing Colon, and then proceeded to hit several more cars until his vehicle was too wrecked to continue. At the arraignment yesterday, Colon's widow told the Daily News, "My heart dropped when I saw him. To me, I am staring at an animal."

Watch out, meat heads: While administering street justice to cyclists who dare touch your precious vehicle, keep in mind you may be photographed for posterity on the internets. And that photo may lead to other photos, like this one here, depicting one Gus Gonzalez, who Streetsblog believes is the man who allegedly assaulted a cyclist during a road rage on Ninth Avenue incident last month. A lawyer used the license plate seen in the photos track down the vehicle's owner; it's registered to Flushing resident Laura DiSpirito, whose Facebook page (since made private) shows her on the beach with her husband "Gus." We'd know that gut anywhere.

We've heard about driver vs. bicyclist fights before, but Streetsblog has a really unusual one. Unusual because the bicyclist was charged with criminal mischief for slapping the side of the SUV! From Streetsblog:

[Ray] Bengen, 63, was riding down the Ninth Avenue bike lane on May 21 when he came across the Ford Excursion you see in this photo (curb weight: 7,190 lbs). A long-time city cyclist, Bengen had a green light and wasn't quite sure what to make of the vehicle in front of him. The car wasn't moving and its brake lights were off.

AutoVantage released its annual survey of the Best/Worst Road Rage Cities in the country and New York is at the top of the heap, baby! After polling 2,500 respondents in 25 major markets, NYC was found to be the least courteous, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul (the more courteous cities were Portland, OR, Cleveland, Baltimore, Sacramento and Pittsburgh); Miami, which was the worst city for four years, slipped from the top five of least courteous cities! According to the consulting company which commissioned the survey, "New Yorkers were most likely to wave their fists or arms. They were most likely to lay on the horn and they were most likely to make some sort of obscene gesture." As for what respondents think causes road rage, they cited things like "Bad/careless driving, such as cutting others off, speeding, tailgating, talking on cell phones, making obscene gestures and not using proper signals," "Traffic problems, accidents, poor road conditions or construction" and "Inconsiderate, disrespectful, selfish drivers who think they own the road."

Some followup to a bicyclist's accusations that an SUV driver rammed into him in Central Park, which Gawker first reported: The Daily News reports that the police are investigating Brian Dooda's claims that he was "dragged more than 200 feet" by Don Broderick's SUV, adding, "Sources said a detective spoke to Dooda Tuesday but it was not yet known if charges would be filed against Broderick." The News, of course, notes Broderick's employment history—he's a "former New York Post reporter who now works for Rupert Murdoch's" Fox News—but notes the 53-year-old driving record is clean. But now Gawker says Broderick was once suspended for "assaulting a Fox co-worker...roughly ten years ago in the Fox newsroom." Streetsblog says the city's policy of keeping cars in Central Park's loop is to blame (the city has reduced car hours a little), "Until officials summon the small measure of political will needed to return the loop road to its rightful users, it will continue to be a contested street to which both drivers and park users believe they have a righteous claim. And the next Brian Dooda may not be so lucky." And Dooda offered one idea for Broderick's punishment to the News: "He has to ride a bike through Manhattan in rush hour."

Brian Dooda was riding his bike in the left traffic lane in Central Park around 5 p.m. last Thursday when an altercation with an SUV driver got crazier than usual. In a post on a cycling message board, Dooda describes the incident, which began when a driver in a grey SUV with press license plates angrily cut him off as payback for riding in the car lane, "speeding within inches" of his front wheel. Dooda "gave chase," caught up with the vehicle at a stop light, and, pulling in front of the SUV, "explained to him that what he just did almost cost me my life, the speed limit is 25mph in the park and if he doesn't like it to stay out of Central Park." Bet you'll never guess how that tool in the SUV responded!

Evan Potts was in court today for a routine conference on his upcoming manslaughter trial for fatally running over Ian Sharinn after a road rage confrontation in Long Beach a couple weeks back. Sharinn's family was there to meet face-to-face with the 22-year-old Potts, who claims that he panicked and drove into Sharinn when the victim was yelling at him and banging on his vehicle while Potts was stopped at a red light. WCBS 2 says that a witness believes it was an accident, "Someone else in our building gave the same account of the story." Potts has been out of jail for a week after posting $500,000 bond. Speculation is that parents of the Queens College student had to mortgage their home in order to raise the money. Outside court Evan Potts told a reporter, "All I have to say is I'm glad to be out to defend myself against these charges." A "Free Evan Potts" Facebook group has almost 700 members an is discussing a possible benefit concert.

Evan Potts is being held on $5 million bond after pleading not guilty to manslaughter charges after fatally striking 34-year-old Ian Sharinn with his Nissan Altima and then driving over the victim's body. The 22-year-old defendant's lawyer, Stanley Kopilow, said he would appeal the high bail—$500,000 if paid in cash—as he told the court yesterday, "This was a tragedy that was fueled by unreasonable anger on the part of the deceased and panic on behalf of my client."

A 34-year-old man was killed after a road rage confrontation in Long Beach that saw the 22-year-old driver of the other vehicle strike the victim with his Nissan Altima and continue driving right over him before fleeing the scene. Evan Potts was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter after onlookers say he panicked when the driver of a '78 canary yellow Porsche got out of his car and began yelling at Potts after the two had been in an ongoing confrontation behind their respective wheels for over a mile. Nassau County Police spokesman Kevin Smith said, "We believe he extended his arms and said something to him. We believe it was a profanity. We don't know the exact phrase that was used, but at that time the driver stepped on the gas, struck him, might have dragged him for a short period of time." A witness described it, "He went right over him like he was a cat in the road...I heard his head rattling in the undercarriage." Potts claims that he was trying to get away fro the driver for five minutes and had been attempting to call 911.

A road rage incident on Staten Island Wednesday left a Brooklyn man with cuts on his face requiring 100 stitches—which is what happens when you get in a fight with a sushi chef. 23-year-old Jack Zaiback says he cut off Yao Zhou, 37, on the West Shore Expressway, and then pulled over because he thought he may have hit Zhou's van. In the ensuing fight, Zhou went to work on Zaiback's face with a 12-inch sushi knife, SI Live reports.

The Queens DA's officer announced that a cop faces assault charges after beating a pedestrian who was crossing Queens Boulevard. Last month, Geoffrey Hollinden was crossing the treacherous 12-lane road at 109th Street when, the NY Times reports, a car driven by off-duty narcotics cop Jamel Dennis nearly hit him. "Hollinden pounded on the car... as it passed," then Dennis got of his car and "dragged [Hollinden] to the boulevard’s service road, lifted him to shoulder height and slammed him to the ground, knocking him unconscious." Hollinden was hospitalized for days, with injuries including cranial bleeding and herniated disc. An eyewitness had copied the car's license plate number, but Dennis had claimed he was pushed in a dispute (when asked for a comment, he just said, "That's their side of the story"). Other off-duty cop road rage incidents: In August, two were charged with gang assault and, last year, one fatally shot a man.

Two female NYPD cops accused of brutally beating a man during a road rage incident in August were indicted today by a Bronx grand jury. You'll recall the charges stem from an altercation between officers Michelle Anglin and Kollen Robinson—who were off-duty at the time—and Marlon Smith, who mouthed off to the pair after they yelled at him to shut his car door so they could pass by in Robinson's SUV. F-bombs ensued, followed by a pistol-whipping. When Smith tried to shut his door to drive away, Anglin allegedly blasted him with pepper spray, yelling, "Do you know who you are f------ with? We are the police!" And it emerged today that they're also accused of beating a witness with a baton when he tried to break up the fight. The cops face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the more serious assault charge.

35-year-old Marlon Smith, who was allegedly beaten, pistol whipped and maced by two off-duty female cops during a road rage incident in the Bronx on August 15th, says he's suing the city for $25 million. According to a witness, the altercation was sparked when Kollen Robinson, 24, and Michelle Anglin, 37, yelled at Smith to close his car door so they could pass by in Robinson's SUV. An exchange of insults quickly became physical, with Robinson reportedly punching Smith while asking, "Do you know who you are f----ing with? We are the police."

Two female NYPD cops did some serious damage to a Bronx man early Friday night, allegedly pistol whipping him during a road rage incident. Michelle Anglin, 37, and Koleen Robinson, 24, were off-duty when they became enraged at 35-year-old Marlon Smith for leaving the driver’s door of his Suburban open, almost scraping Robinson's SUV, the Daily News reports. F bombs and A bombs were promptly fired at Smith by the cops. When he responded with his own profanity, the policewomen approached his vehicle and Anglin allegedly blasted him with pepper spray.

A grand jury declined to indict an off-duty police officer who fatally killed another driver in a road rage shooting last year.

One teenager has been arrested and police are seeking a second suspect in the murder of a 25-year-old man shot to death following a minor traffic accident in the Bronx. Adolfo Gonzalez was shot twice in the chest early Saturday morning, after he got into a fender bender with two other vehicles.

Yesterday, the Post reported about a strange and disturbing road rage incident in Red Hook last week. A woman was ultimately repeatedly hit by the driver of a Land Rover.

A taxi driver was fatally run over by another driver at Madison and East 65th Street shortly after midnight. Police believe that the taxi got into an accident with a black Nissan Altima, and then two drivers got into an argument. After the taxi driver got out of the cab, the Nissan's driver hit him. The Nissan's driver and passenger, a man and a woman, fled the scene, and witnesses say the taxi driver was...

City officials are warning drivers that they should expect to spend more time sitting in traffic than waiting in line while holiday shopping. Today is the first of nine designated holiday gridlock days, when the city tries to head off street-clogging traffic that can frustrate even a seasoned city driver. NY1 quotes some professional drivers and visitors on how bad traffic can be around Thanksgiving and the holidays in New York. “Oh man, traffic is...

Jose Rivera, who shot at a car full of undercover cops, hitting one of them, was sentenced to 16 years in jail. In February, while driving in Park Slope-Prospect Heights, Rivera thought that the cops were giving him a dirty looks and yelled at them, "You got a beef?" and then fired. The police fired back and later, Rivera's police officer wife seemed to try to cover up the shooting by parking their bullet-ridden car far from their home.

An off-duty police officer turned himself in for Sunday's fatal road rage-related shooting in Harlem. Sean Sawyer, who joined the NYPD and worked as an undercover officer, approached a police cruiser yesterday morning, "I think you guys are looking for me for the shooting last night on the FDR [Drive]...This is the gun I used...I thought the guy was armed - make a sign like a gun. I think I'm having a heart attack; please get an ambulance."

A 25-year-old driver was shot and killed at First Avenue and East 117th Street. Police believe that Jayson Tirado and the driver of an SUV got into an argument when an accident on the FDR (a motorcyclist hit a light pole after trying to switch lanes and died) prompted them to exit onto the streets.

When it comes to road rage, New York City ranks second, after Miami, according to a survey from an automobile club. We don't know if we should be proud or ashamed that we moved up from the three position!

Whether it's road rage or simply being stupid or both, this story is really ridiculous. When 25-year-old and 9 months pregnant Michelle Hagler called the police to complain that Shlomo Fine's car was blocking her driveway in Midwood, Fine struck back. Literally. The Post reports that he "drove into" Hagler a total of three times before leaving. Three times! And not just any person - a pregnant lady!