NEW YORK (WPIX) — Police charged a man with murder in the second degree and seven counts of attempted murder on Tuesday after he allegedly sped through Brooklyn in a U-Haul on Monday, fatally striking one person and injuring several others.
Weng Sor, 62, has several prior arrests dating back to 2002, officials said. The NYPD, using 911 calls, witness statements and surveillance video, developed a timeline of more than an hour, following Sor as he allegedly drove through Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights before heading back into Bay Ridge.
Following his arrest, Sor said he saw “an invisible object” and said, “I’ve had enough” before he allegedly began his deadly drive through Brooklyn, police said.
Eight civilians were hit, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. Three of those victims were on bikes, three were on mopeds, one was on an e-bike and one was walking before being struck. The victim who died had been on a moped. A police officer was also injured.
Sor, who lives in Las Vegas, rented the U-Haul in Florida on Feb. 1 and drove to New York, police officials said. His ex-wife and estranged son live in New York City.
On Feb. 6, he showed up at his ex-wife’s and son’s place to shower, police said. He returned there on Feb. 8 to shower again. Sor was also stopped by a highway patrol person in New York City on Feb. 8. He was issued a summons for speeding and driving a commercial vehicle on the Belt Parkway.
Sor was in New Jersey on Sunday but then went back to Brooklyn where he allegedly drove through city streets, hitting people.
It’s believed he was suffering from a mental health crisis, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. Family members indicated to police that Sor was off of his medication.
“He does say to police when he was arrested, ‘You should have shot me,'” Essig said.
The NYPD released a timeline of when and where people were injured:
- 10:17 a.m., Fourth Avenue and 55th Street: a 36-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his leg
- 10:19 a.m., Fifth Avenue and Senator Street: a 34-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his torso
- 10:31 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and Seventh Avenue: a 30-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his leg
- 10:36 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and 12th Avenue: a 51-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his head
- 10:48 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and Fifth Avenue: a 44-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his head. This man later died at the hospital. He has not yet been publicly identified.
- 10:50 a.m., Bay Ridge Parkway and Seventh Avenue: a 38-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his ankle
- 11:05 a.m., 72nd Street and Third Avenue: a 33-year-old police officer and a 32-year-old man were stuck. The officer’s leg was injured and the man suffered injuries to his head and torso
- 11:05 a.m., 73rd Street and Third Avenue: a 66-year-old man was struck and suffered injuries to his neck and knee
There’s no nexus to terrorism in the case, police said.