On September 16th, a video was taken of a moped that was involved in a police chase in Queens slamming into an NYPD vehicle before catching fire. The incident occurred after the moped had already been involved in the pursuit.
According to a report by the New York Post, the event took place at approximately 12:30 a.m., after the moped was linked to a suspected gunshot incident that took place in the vicinity. Cops of public safety disseminated a broadcast, which instructed other officers to obstruct traffic in an effort to apprehend the driver of the moped.
The footage shows a moped careening into an NYPD SUV that is blocking the traffic. The SUV was obstructing the road. The driver of the motorcycle was dragged to safety by responding officers after the vehicle they were riding in exploded.
According to Bronx News, the driver, who is 34 years old, is presently receiving treatment at a hospital on Jamaica Avenue for minor head wounds. The driver’s status is stated to be stable at this time. Because of the brazen nature of the occurrence, concerns have been raised regarding the increasing crime rates in the city.
Recent months have seen an increase in the number of shooting events involving the NYPD and Queens
After the collision, according to a representative for the police department, authorities investigated the area for firearms and evidence of previous gunfire. The representative continued to explain that the suspect, who had been engaged in the collision, was found to be in possession of a firearm when the investigation was completed. However, it has not been established whether or not he was involved in a shooting incident at this time. The inquiry into the case is still ongoing at this time.
However, state records indicate that Queens is no stranger to instances of this nature, and this year, the region has experienced an increase in the number of shootings and other violent crimes. Additionally, there has been a 13.4% rise in the total number of gunshot incidents in New York City.
According to Kenneth Corey, the Chief of Department for the New York Police Department, while there has been a 54% decline in the number of homicides in the city as of August 2022, the overall crime rate in the city has increased by 26%.
Corey also mentioned that the city is considerably less dangerous than it was in May 2022, when the department first started implementing their Summer Violence Reduction Plan. He went on to say that despite the number of homicides in New York City “plummeted in August,” the number of practically every other significant crime went up.
NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell suggested, in an official statement, that the surge in violence in the city could be linked to illicit guns emboldening criminals. Sewell made this assertion in reference to the city. Sewell said:
“We are aware that any rise in the rate of crime in our city is completely intolerable. Everyone who lives here, works here, or travels here deserves to be safe, and the members of the NYPD will tolerate nothing less than that. However, we cannot accomplish it by ourselves.
Keechant continued by saying that offenders “must suffer serious repercussions” if they are willing to carry illegal guns and shoot at innocent people.
He pointed out that the only way to reduce the amount of crime in the city was to take a harsher stance against those who committed the crimes and to maintain police presence. He also stated that whenever there is a crime that “erodes the public’s trust in the criminal justice system,” lawmakers ought to refocus their attention on the victims since they are the ones who matter the most.
According to CNN’s reporting, New York City has seen a gradual resurgence in crime following an all-time low in 2019, when the city experienced the lowest murder rate in over half a century.