2 killed in NYC's Chinatown when driver hits cyclist, pedestrian
Two people were killed when a driver struck pedestrians in Manhattan's Chinatown Saturday morning.
It happened at around 7:30 a.m. at Canal Street and Broadway.
Police say the driver of a blue Chevy Malibu was speeding westbound on the Manhattan Bridge and, once in Manhattan, struck a male cyclist and a female pedestrian sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, as well as an unoccupied NYPD van.
EMS rushed to the scene and declared both victims dead. The pedestrian has been identified as 63-year-old May Kwok. The cyclist was later identified as 55-year-old Kevin Scott Cruickshank.
A field of debris was left around the Chevy Malibu. The front end of the car was crumpled and its windshield shattered. The marked NYPD van could also be seen with significant damage to its rear. The bicycle and some victims' belongings were also present. The bench the woman was sitting on and the police van were both hurled across the street.
"I just heard a big boom, then I saw the police van flew over there," witness Sam Qwang said.
The NYPD van struck the New York Jewelers Exchange storefront. An employee said there was no one inside at the time.
Driver, passenger tried to leave scene after deadly crash, police say
The driver of the vehicle and a passenger, both women in their 20s, got out of the vehicle and tried to walk away, according to witnesses.
"I said, 'You just killed two people.' I said, 'You can't go anywhere,'" a witness named Christopher said. "I said, 'You're not going anywhere.' They said, 'Get outta my way.'"
Police say witnesses were able to point the women out to officers, and they were arrested a block away on Elizabeth Street.
"It looked like a girl had, like, a white shirt, and it just had blood all over it," one witness said.
Officers took both into custody. They're being evaluated at a hospital and were last reported to be in stable condition.
Police sources say the driver was not authorized to drive the car, which had Wisconsin plates and was a past-due rental from a rental car company on Staten Island.
"It's just so sad when you see something happen like this," Qwang said.
The 22-year-old passenger was later charged with criminal possession of a weapon and unauthorized use of a stolen vehicle. So far, the driver has not yet been charged.
