A stunt driver turned the heart of Times Square into a tire-smoking arena when a car spun through burnouts and donuts at West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue, briefly choking off Midtown traffic as bystanders pulled out their phones to record the chaos. Police say three people from the vehicle were arrested, and officers later recovered an unloaded handgun and two extended magazine clips from inside the car.
Video from the incident last weekend shows the driver repeatedly whipping the car in circles in the intersection before officers closed in and arrested the three occupants, according to ABC7. A search of the vehicle turned up an unloaded Glock and the extended magazine clips, and the men were hit with reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon charges, the outlet reported.
NYPD Steps Up Enforcement Of Car Meetups
The Times Square bust is playing out against a broader NYPD crackdown on illegal car meets and late-night street takeovers around the city. Spectrum's NY1 reported that officers recently seized 20 vehicles and arrested eight people in a sweep targeting these meetups, while NBC New York documented a fiery Queens takeover that set social media and local residents on edge.
What The Charges Could Mean
The men arrested in the Times Square incident now face counts of reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. New York’s weapons laws fall under Article 265 of the Penal Law and can be charged at different levels depending on the circumstances, according to the New York State Senate. Reckless endangerment applies when someone “recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury,” per the New York State Senate.
As of the ABC7 report, the NYPD had not released the suspects’ names, and prosecutors had not yet said whether they would pursue indictments. The case remains under investigation.
