A woman was nearly mowed down when a carjacker rammed a vehicle into a KFC window as he tried to elude police. Police said the situation began when the Queens thief was shoplifting from a Rite Aid around 2 p.m. on Monday.
According to a police spokeswoman, police tried to apprehend the suspect, that is when he “approached an uninvolved person in a vehicle and tried to carjack them.”
Cops said after a struggle, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the window of the fast-food eatery at Union Turnpike and Parsons Boulevard, cops said.
“I was parked right there, and he almost missed me for about a second. He could have hit me since I was almost right by there,” said Olga Valarezo, a witness to the crash.
The bloody victim managed to walk away from the vehicle. He told police that the suspect said he was armed.
Watching the drama unfold was terrifying, said Valarezo. She said she heard screaming, and the suspect crashed into the building.
The driver and suspect were transported to a local hospital, where their condition was listed as stable. The suspect is facing charges, said police.
Although the victim’s family did want to be filmed, they released a statement saying they were grateful that the victim was okay and that the situation could have ended differently.
“The bus stop is 5 feet away, and if there were anyone there, this could have been a tragic day for many families. The crime has clearly skyrocketed, and innocent people are getting the brunt,” said the release.