U-Haul truck driver ‘rampages’ through Brooklyn pedestrians, leaving 1 dead, 8 injured
February 14, 2023
A man driving a U-Haul truck drove through pedestrians in Brooklyn, New York, killing one person and injuring eight others.
The driver of the truck, identified as 62-year-old Weng Sor, was pulled over by police at about 10:49 a.m. in Sunset Park on Monday.
Sor evaded the police and swerved onto sidewalks, plowing into cyclists and scooter riders at Bay Ridge Parkway and Fifth Avenue until police pinned his vehicle against a building at Hamilton Avenue and Columbia Street in Red Hook.
One of the victims, a 44-year-old man on an e-bike, has died from his injuries, while the other victims were all listed in stable condition by authorities on Monday night.
Sor reportedly dared the cops to shoot him before he was taken into custody.
According to Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the incident was a “violent rampage,” but there was no evidence of “terrorism involvement.”
The suspect remains at the 68th Precinct and has yet to be charged.
Sor’s son, Stephen, 30, told the Associated Press that his father has a history of mental illness.
“Very frequently he’ll choose to skip out on his medications and do something like this,” he said. “This isn’t the first time he’s been arrested. It’s not the first time he’s gone to jail. I try to just distance, as long as he leaves us alone.”
According to Stephen, he was surprised when his father, who had been living in Las Vegas for the past few years, showed up at his Brooklyn home in the middle of the night about a week ago.
Sor reportedly rented a U-Haul truck in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1. U-Haul spokesperson Jeff Lockridge said that Sor provided a valid driver’s license and paid for a 30-day rental in advance.
The suspect has a criminal record dating back to 2005.
He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery in a Nevada case in 2005 and was ordered to undergo counseling and perform community service.
In 2015, Sor served about 17 months in a Nevada prison for stabbing his brother in Las Vegas, according to court and prison records.
In 2020, Sor stabbed another individual in the arm and chest with a knife. He was sentenced to 364 days in county jail, with about 10 months of time already served.
Sor underwent months of evaluations at state psychiatric facilities until he was found competent to face charges. Although records do not list a possible diagnosis, it was noted that Sor was placed on medications.
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