NEW YORK, NY (NBC4) — A driver enraged over a fight about a parking spot early Sunday got out of his car and stabbed two people, then drove his car onto a sidewalk and struck a group of six pedestrians, killing one of them, police said.
Police believe they have the driver in custody, NYPD Assistant Chief David Barrere said. He has not been identified.
The driver of a white Hyundai got into an argument with two people in a BMW parked outside of a hookah bar in the Richmond Hill neighborhood in Queens at about 4:30 a.m., according to police.
The Hyundai driver then got out of his car and stabbed two people from the BMW in their torsos, police said.
A group of people came out from the hookah bar and tried to intervene. That’s when police say the man got back into the car and drove onto the sidewalk at 128th Street, striking six people. One of the stabbing victims was also struck by the car.
Mily Urbina said the driver looked to be going about 50 mph down the sidewalk. “I just saw the car went through by the sidewalk and went all the way down,” she said.
Richardo Chattergoon, 23, from Far Rockaway, died after being hit by the car, according to police.
A 29-year-old man from Brooklyn was hospitalized in critical condition; police said he was both stabbed and struck by the car.
The rest of the victims were at Jamaica Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said the victims included a 29-year-old man with a head injury, a 27-year-old man with a broken leg, a 29-year-old man with a broken pelvis and a 20-year-old woman with a broken leg.
Chattergoon’s family members were in tears as they looked for him Sunday.
“We can’t find him. He leave last night and he didn’t come back home,” said Pat Dennis, the victim’s aunt.
The white Hyundai was found at another location in Queens, according to police.
Detectives were seeking surveillance video which could show more about what happened, police said.
Meanwhile, residents say it isn’t the first time they’ve seen a fight outside the lounge.
“I’ve been there a few times and I’ve seen stuff that happened like right in front of the place,” Narendra Bisesar said.
Urbina said she often sees fights at the lounge. “Sometimes at 6 o’clock in the morning there’s fighting over there,” she said.
