The driver of the car that plowed into a bodega this morning at Second Avenue and East 4th Street has been arrested for DWI. Witnesses told the Post that the driver was racing another vehicle. "I heard them, and I saw them race past, both of them were going about 75 mph,” Alvaro Alvin said. "There were two cars, they were racing, there was a black car behind a white car. They were being reckless together. They were weaving around [the other cars]."
DNAinfo identifies the driver as Sean Martin of Bayside Queens, and reports that Martin has prior arrests for cocaine possession and DWI. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told the outlet that Martin refused a Breathalyzer test at the scene, and that police found marijuana in his sock.
Reports vary as to how many were injured when Martin's Nissan Maxima jumped the curb around 7 a.m., but an FDNY spokeswoman said that there were six total patients transported from the scene, one of whom was in critical condition. The NYPD's press office said that victim was a 62-year-old male, who was reportedly setting up a flower stand in front of the bodega when he was hit by the car.
Two other bodega workers, both male, ages 54 and 39, were also injured but not critically. A 37-year-old man riding a Citi Bike was also injured but is in stable condition. The driver of the vehicle and his female passenger suffered minor injuries.
The NYPD only handed out 11 speeding tickets in the East Village's 9th Precinct for the entirety of 2012. This year they have handed out nine.
