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On 16 September, a video captured a moped involved in a police chase in Queens crashing into an NYPD vehicle before erupting into flames.
The NY Post reported that the incident occurred at around 12:30 am, after the moped was linked to a potential shooting incident that took place in the area. Public Safety Officers put out a broadcast, prompting officers to block traffic in an attempt to capture the moped driver.
In the video, the moped can be seen careening into an NYPD SUV that is blocking the road. The two-wheeler exploded and officers rushed to the scene to drag the driver out to safety.
Bronx News reported that the driver, a 34-year-old, is currently being treated at a Jamaica Avenue hospital for minor head wounds and is in stable condition. The brazen nature of the incident has created concerns about rising crime rates in the city.
NYPD and Queens has seen a rise in shooting incidents recently
A police spokesperson said that after the crash, officers searched the area for firearms and signs of shooting. The spokesperson continued to add that the suspect, who was involved in the crash, was found to be in possession of a firearm. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether or not he was involved in a shooting. The case is currently under investigation.
However, state statistics note that Queens is no stranger to such incidents as the area has seen an uptick in shootings and violent crimes this year. New York City has also seen a 13.4% increase in cases of shooting overall.
Kenneth Corey, Chief of Department in the NYPD said that while murder rates in the city have seen a 54% decrease in August 2022, the overall crime rate in the city has gone up by 26%.
Corey added that the city is currently safer than it was when the department implemented their Summer Violence Reduction Plan in May 2022. He added that although murders in NYC "plunged in August, almost every other major crime went up."
In an official statement, NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said that the rise in crime in the city could be linked to illegal guns emboldening criminals. Sewell said:
“We know that any crime increase in our city is wholly unacceptable. Everyone who lives, works, and visits here deserves to be safe, and the members of the NYPD will tolerate nothing less – but we cannot do it alone."
Keechant added that if criminals are willing to carry illegal guns and shoot at innocent people, "they must face real consequences."
He noted that the only way to deter crime in the city was to go harder on the criminals and keep policing. He also said that when crime like this "erodes the public's trust in the criminal justice system," lawmakers need to refocus their energy on the victims, as they matter the most.
CNN reported that the gradual increase in crime in New York followed an all-time low in 2019, when it saw the lowest murder rate in almost 50 years.
