NYPD vehicle crashes into sidewalk injuring 10 people

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A marked NYPD vehicle on Thursday crashed into another car which caused it to mount a curb and injure a crowd of people, including children on the sidewalk.

A total of 10 people were injured, including two NYPD officers inside the vehicle, in a crash near the intersection of Westchester and Hoe Avenues in the Bronx borough of New York City around 3 p.m. EDT.

"Everyone is in stable condition," a police spokesperson confirmed to UPI.

"It does not look like there is any criminality involved," the spokesperson confirmed.

The New York Times had reported that four of the people struck were suffering from "life-threatening injuries" and were taken to Lincoln Hospital and Jacobi Medical Center in critical condition.

Officers with the 41 precinct were responding to a call of a vehicle being stolen when the accident happened, NYPD patrol chief Jeffrey Maddrey said during a news conference.

"Our officers were being diligent in responding and unfortunately this accident became an intervening cause and the vehicle actually did get stolen," Maddrey said. "We were never able to get there."

Maddrey said the officers crossed the double-yellow line into oncoming traffic on Westchester Avenue when approaching a vehicle stopped in front of them at a red light to go around the stopped car.

"But the vehicle made a left turn. At that time, the department vehicle and the civilian vehicle, their front ends clipped each other," Maddrey said, which caused the NYPD car to veer into the sidewalk.

Six pedestrians were standing on the sidewalk when the police car crashed into them, Maddrey said. Other members of the department immediately responded to provide aid to the civilians.

Maddrey said the victims' ages ranged from 2 years old to 65 years old. The child that was injured was inside the civilian car that was clipped and a 5-year-old child that was on the sidewalk was also injured.

"We don't want to see anybody injured, especially when our officers were trying to do the right thing," Maddrey said. "They were trying to prevent a crime in progress."