Dramatic video footage captured a New York driver accused of having a gun as he tried to flee police before being arrested outside the Bloomingdales flagship store.
The man was filmed successfully extricating himself from NYPD officers who arrested him on the Upper East Side Wednesday afternoon, but was arrested again shortly thereafter.
He was arrested with another man who was in the front passenger seat of the red Toyota Corolla and a woman who was in the back seat.
None of the other passengers resisted arrest, and police have yet to identify them or provide more details.
Officers were seen yelling at the suspects to “show your hands” as they opened the driver’s door, telling the driver, who was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, to “come on, get out of the car.” .
The driver was taken to the back of the car, where an officer attempted to handcuff him before wriggling out of the officer’s grip. He appears to punch the officer, hitting him lightly in the shoulder before scooting down the street.
The driver of a red Toyota (pictured) was handcuffed to the rear of the car while officers pulled two others from the passenger side at E 59th Street and Park and Lexington Avenues
The driver, dressed in white, managed to escape and struck an officer driving down E 59th Street
He was later arrested outside the Bloomingdales flagship store at 59th and Third Avenues
Officers reportedly discovered a gun in the car and approached the vehicle with service weapons drawn
A young man dressed all in black was pulled from the front, and a woman in a striped crop top and black leggings was pulled from the rear passenger door. The young man appears to have a confused and fearful expression on his face as an officer drags him onto the sidewalk while the woman is handcuffed.
The driver was later arrested outside the Bloomingdales flagship store at East 59th Street and Third Avenue.
He was seen handcuffed in a prone position before officers lifted him up and leaned against the store’s building, where he appeared to be speaking to police. The unidentified man was escorted down the street to a nearby squad car by five officers.
Officials checked his bags before placing them in the back of the cruiser. The other two were also escorted to police cars.
Although it is unclear whether he was in possession of a gun or whether the gun was legally registered, New York “generally prohibits the possession of a handgun, short-barreled rifle or shotgun, or assault weapon outside of one’s home or place of business.” according to the NYC government. However, NYC has additional gun laws that do not recognize the state’s gun licenses.
All guns within the city must be registered and authorized by the NYC government, “and a person must possess an appropriate license or permit from New York City to carry a firearm within the city.”
It is also illegal for a criminal to be in possession of a firearm, although it remains unclear whether the Toyota driver has any criminal record.
The arrests come as New York is in the midst of a crime spike, with overall crime rising by 42 percent. The Big Apple has a growing problem with ghost guns and other weapons, with shooting deaths up 8.4 percent. Assaults and robberies are also up by 21 and 46 percent, respectively.
Transit crimes are also up more than 60 percent, and Mayor Eric Adams, 61, has urged locals to betray cops who use their phones on subway platforms while on duty by sending him photos.
Adams made the plea at a news conference on Tuesday when asked by a journalist about reports of several uniformed police officers seen scrolling through phones while on duty guarding the city’s crime-ridden transportation network.
The former NYPD captain warned, “We’re going to start taking very aggressive action to make sure the police are patrolling our subway system and not patrolling their iPhone.”
Overall crime is up 42 percent in the city as criminals rampage through the Big Apple
“If you see it, send me a picture. I’ll go to that district the next day and see exactly what happens.
“Send me a shot. New Yorkers, look, send me a photo and I’ll be at that station.’ Adams’ spokesman urged anyone with photos to send them to his press office, whose email address is [email protected].
Adams said New Yorkers could look forward to a “visible difference in policing” in the coming weeks.