arrest

Reckless Driver Caught on Video Fleeing Police After Routine Traffic Stop

As officers were calling for backup, the driver spun his vehicle away from them and fled the location

What to Know

  • George Lopez, 27, was arrested after he tried to flee from police during a routine traffic stop
  • Video captured by a bystander shows the driver ram into a police car and reverse in circles several times before speeding off
  • Lopez faces charges including reckless endangerment and reckless driving

A driver was arrested early Sunday morning after he tried to flee the scene during a routine traffic stop, police said.

Officers pulled upper Manhattan resident George Lopez, 27, over after they spotted him driving erratically near Dyckman Street and Payson Avenue in Inwood around 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, the NYPD said.

But after they stopped him, Lopez refused to open the doors to his blue Toyota Sienna or get out of the car, police said.

As officers were calling for backup, Lopez spun his vehicle away from them and fled the location, hitting several NYPD vehicles and parked cars, according to police

Video captured by a bystander shows the driver ram into a police car and reverse in circles several times before speeding off.

Lopez drove west down the sidewalk on Dyckman before fleeing northbound in the southbound lane on Henry Hudson Parkway, the NYPD said. He eventually hit a parked car as he went the wrong way on a Mosholu Parkway exit, at which point he was apprehended, police said.

The driver was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with minor injuries, according to police.

Three officers sustained bruises during the incident. 

Lopez faces charges including reckless endangerment, reckless driving, impair[ment] by drugs and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, the NYPD said.

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