New York City police shot and killed a man suspected of abducting a young child after he allegedly drove a cargo van into police and civilian vehicles during an attempted stop on the Belt Parkway.
The incident happened at about 7.30pm on Saturday near Coney Island Avenue, after a 911 call reporting a possible kidnapping and a child screaming in the back of the vehicle.
Officers attempted to stop the white van, which had New Jersey number plates, on the eastbound carriageway near Exit 8. The driver, who has not been publicly identified, allegedly failed to stop and tried to escape by driving against the flow of traffic.
Police set up a roadblock, but the van reportedly struck police and civilian vehicles. Officers then broke the vehicle’s windows and used a Taser before shooting the man.
He was taken to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead at about 8pm. No child was found inside the van, according to police sources cited in reports.
The person who made the emergency call also flagged down nearby officers, the NYPD said. No officers had been reported injured.
The call was made at 7.19pm in front of Seaside Park, within the 60th Precinct, which includes Coney Island.
Images from the scene showed a large police presence, crime-scene tape and a damaged NYPD van. Police warned people to avoid the area around the eastbound Belt Parkway and Coney Island Avenue because of road closures and delays.
It was not immediately clear why the kidnapping report had been made.
The shooting was at least the tenth fatal officer-involved shooting in New York City this year, according to the reports.
