Man Is Charged With Running Over A Detective’s Foot, Leading Police On A Wild Chase And Crashing Into An Off-Duty Sergeant’s Car: NYPD
After allegedly running over a detective’s foot, leading the NYPD on a wild chase from Flatbush Avenue near Beverley Road to Marine Park, and ultimately crashing into an off-duty sergeant’s car yesterday afternoon, Randy Edwards, 34, was charged today with assault of a police officer with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving, according to the NYPD and the Daily News.
Two NYPD Robbery Squad detectives originally tried to pull Edwards’ white dollar van over around Flatbush and Beverley just before 3pm Tuesday afternoon because they believed he was one of the people involved in a series of pharmacy hold-ups across the borough, the Daily News and the New York Post reported. A couple of our sources close to the NYPD told us they believed police thought Edwards was a suspect in the armed robberies in our area, but we haven’t been able to confirm that.
When the detectives attempted to pull Edwards over, the Daily News reported that, “instead of complying, Edwards hit the gas and sped off, running over a detective’s foot and clipping the other.”
Although injured, the investigators jumped into their car and gave chase, sparking a seven-mile pursuit that ended on Ave. U near Stuart St. in Marine Park when the dollar van slammed into a Nissan Versa driven by off-duty Sgt. Nancy Lawrence, 50.
Paramedics rushed Lawrence’s daughter, Natalie Ferber, 18 — who was in the passenger seat — to Kings County Hospital where she was listed in critical condition.
Ferber was hospitalized overnight. Her condition has been stabilized, police sources said. Neither Sgt. Lawrence and a third passenger were injured.
Lawrence works for the 78th Precinct, according to the Post.
The Post described the chaotic scene of the accident in Marine Park:
The van raced away and was speeding southwest on Avenue U when it veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into a Nissan Versa, cops said.
The collision tore off the Nissan’s rear bumper, and the impact sent both vehicles hurtling across the double-yellow line and onto the Avenue U sidewalk near Stuart Street, cops said.
Edwards “looked panicked” as he hopped out and tried to run away, said Sharon Weiss, 45, who works at the nearby Van Zachary Salon.
But cops quickly chased him down and arrested him, she said.
“It was chaos, pure chaos,” Weiss added.
The Nissan was badly damaged, and emergency workers needed hydraulic tools to pry it open and free the three women trapped inside, said salon customer Randi Raymond, 55.
The Daily News noted that police have cleared Edwards of being part of any robbery crew.