NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The co-owner of a Staten Island bar that has been defying the state's COVID restrictions was arrested again on Saturday for allegedly driving his car into an NYC Sheriff deputy, who was left clinging to the hood of the vehicle as the bar owner drove away, authorities said.
Danny Presti, 34, had already been arrested last week after Mac's Public House on Lincoln Avenue in the Grant City neighborhood violated a ban on serving patrons indoors in a COVID orange zone.
The bar was shut down after Presti's arrest Tuesday, but the business reopened Friday night and was open again Saturday, Sheriff Joseph Fucito said.
Sheriff's deputies had been surveilling the bar on Saturday evening before Presti allegedly drove his car into the deputy later that night.
The sheriff said the front door of the bar was locked and the windows were covered but that a woman standing in the front of the business was leading patrons to a neighboring commercial space, where they could then enter the bar through a back door. Once inside, they were allegedly being served food and alcohol.
People gather at Mac's Public House in support of its owner and manager refusing to follow proper coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions on December 03, 2020 in the Staten Island borough of New York City.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Shortly after midnight, once patrons had left the bar, officers saw Presti leaving through the front door. He then walked along Lincoln Avenue to his car parked on South Railroad Avenue, the sheriff said.
When two uniformed deputies identified themselves and tried to take Presti into custody for multiple criminal offenses, Presti began to run on foot towards his vehicle, according to the sheriff.
Presti was ordered to stop, but he didn't, instead getting into his vehicle and driving it into one of the uniformed deputies, the sheriff said.
The deputy was struck and thrown onto the hood of the vehicle, according to the sheriff, who said Presti took off down South Railroad Avenue with the injured deputy clinging to the hood of the vehicle.
Presti was eventually pulled over after traveling 100 yards, the sheriff said.
He was arrested without injury and taken to the 122nd Precinct.
Presti faces a long list of charges, including third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury, menacing, reckless driving, resisting arrest and unlawfully fleeing a police officer, according to the New York Post.
The deputy suffered fractures to the tibia bones in both of his legs, the Post reported. He was taken to Staten Island University Hospital.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Presti has not publicly denied driving into the deputy or yet commented on the incident.
Mark Fonte, an attorney for Presti, told the Associated Press that he had not yet had an opportunity to speak to his client. Fonte said he expected Presti to be arraigned later Sunday.
A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio told the AP that Presti's actions showed a disregard for human life. "In both of these instances, whether it's flouting public health laws or ramming a car into a uniformed deputy, this individual has endangered the lives of others," said the spokesperson, Bill Neidhardt.
The owners of Mac's Public House have remained defiant in recent days, declaring their business an "autonomous zone" and staying open despite a cease-and-desist order, daily fines of $1,000 and the suspension of their state liquor license.
Lou Gelormino, an attorney for Presti, said the bar reopened Friday to honor the "brothers and sisters in the restaurant business." He said the owners haven't paid summonses issued to them.
The bar's refusal to close has made it a popular cause among some people. Hundreds protested outside the bar Wednesday after its initial closure. Supporters planned to march again on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
