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Man Killed After Off-Duty Police Officer's SUV Strikes 4 Pedestrians

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP)--  Police say an off-duty New York City police officer has been arrested on charges including manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated after his SUV struck four pedestrians in Brooklyn, killing one of them.

Authorities say 28-year-old Nicholas Batka lost control of his vehicle on Bedford Avenue and it mounted the sidewalk, striking four pedestrians around 3 a.m., CBS2's Magdalena Doris reported.

Police spokesman Officer Brian Magoolaghan said Batka has worked 1 1/2 years in the New York Police Department Transit Bureau Manhattan task force. He said Batka has been suspended.

Magoolaghan said two women and two men, all believed to be in their 20s, were struck. Police say a man at Bellevue Hospital was dead while the others were seriously injured.

Witnesses said they had the SUV surrounded and were shocked to see Batka allegedly try to use the fact he's an officer to get away, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported. The deadly crash was just hours before Batka was scheduled to work at 7 a.m.

"So I saw this guy pass by me in a really bad speed, zigzagging and soon as he turned he jumped on the sidewalk," Uber driver Shakeel Shabbi told CBS2. "I'm a strong man but I was shaking like a leaf. That's the worst thing I've ever seen... Never want to see that again in my life"

Another witness told 1010 WINS' Roger Stern that it was the most horrific thing she'd ever seen with bloody bodies on the ground and one victim who "looked like a chainsaw had been taken to his knee." 

Of the four people who were hit by the SUV, three remain in critical condition.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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