NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A man accused of leading police on a hectic chase that culminated in him ramming an outdoor dining structure and injuring two officers was indicted, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday.
Benjamin Abrams, 56, allegedly fled a traffic stop on April 19 after police pulled him over for swerving through traffic using a temporary license tag with the expiration date obscured.
During the stop, Abrams handed over a fake North Carolina driver’s license, but when police asked him to step out of the car, he sped off, according to prosecutors.
The driver led police on a dangerous chase through Midtown, driving on the wrong side of the road and onto sidewalks.
When the driver was cornered, he rammed his car into the vehicles around him before ramming two cops with his car and slamming into an outdoor dining shed as pedestrians leaped out of the way.
Authorities accused Abrams of fleeing into a homeless shelter, where he stole employee clothing to disguise himself as a worker and evaded arrest until May 6.
Police said they found 37 grams of methamphetamine in his abandoned vehicle after the chase.
Abrams faces charges for criminal substance possession, reckless endangerment, assault, burglary and attempted assault.
“This driver allegedly engaged in an incredibly reckless and dangerous car chase that injured two NYPD officers,” said Bragg. “Many other lives were put at risk as he wove through streets and sidewalks, and even drove right through an outdoor dining structure. I wish the officers injured a full and speedy recovery.”
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