A driver in the process of being carjacked by an alleged shoplifter drove into a KFC restaurant in Queens Monday afternoon, police say, and the suspect was arrested.
The incident started at a Rite Aid on Union Turnpike in Kew Gardens Hills around 2 p.m., according to police. A thief allegedly walked out of the pharmacy with $1,200 worth of stolen items, then ran up to a random car as he tried to flee the scene.
Surveillance video showed a man go up to the parked car on Parsons Boulevard, opening the driver's side door and jumping in. Police said that as the driver and suspect wrestled inside the car, the driver hit the gas with the door still open, sending the car speeding forward.
Witnesses said it took just seconds before the Nissan sedan ended up in the window of the fried chicken restaurant. A 31-year-old KFC manager was doing paperwork at the time and hurt his hand, but no customers inside at the time, NBC New York has learned.
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The chaos went down just a matter of feet from a bus stop, too. A witness said that the driver came out bleeding, and the other man was on the floor. Video showed responding officers take the alleged thief out of the passenger-side door and arrest him.
The 57-year-old victim and the suspect were both taken to the hospital, but both are expected to survive.
"We're very grateful my cousin is OK, this could have been a lot worse," a statement from the victim's family read. "The bus stop is five feet away, and there were anyone, this could have been a tragic day for many families."
The crushed car was towed away some time later, leaving a massive hole in the side of the KFC.
