Man Whose Bike Was Stolen Hits Alleged Thief With Van, Police Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A victim took matters into his own hands in Manhattan Saturday, when police say a man whose bike was stolen went after the alleged thief and ended up hitting him with a van.
On Sunday, the search continues for the bike bandit.
More: Driver Charged After Hitting Bike Thief, Pedestrian In Midtown, Police Say
Surveillance video shows the bicyclist get hit by the van which police say the bicyclist stole from.
Nelson Altamonte says he watched the alleged thief untie the bike from a pole before the driver could put it back in his van.
"I saw the van going down the block chasing him," he told CBS2.
Chasing him, police say, while driving the wrong way down a busy Hell's Kitchen street.
It happened around 5:15 p.m. Saturday near the corner of 9th Avenue and 50th Street. What happened next had Altamonte stunned.
"He hit him, but the guy got up and ran away on foot, but he was badly hurt and there was a pedestrian down the street hit by the van too," he said. "He was in bad shape and was bleeding from the head."
Police say the 31-year-old pedestrian suffered cuts to his head and elbow.
The alleged driver of the van, 47-year-old James Mansfield, was taken into custody. Altamonte says he didn't try to flee the scene.
"He put a towel on his head so he actually helped the guy," he said.
Mansfield faces reckless endangerment charges as police continue to search for the bicyclist.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74682). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
