NJ man had ‘large quantity’ of crack cocaine in Mercedes during New Year’s Day rampage in NYC: cops
The Mercedes driver who struck two cops and four other people in Midtown on New Year’s Day had “a large quantity’’ of crack cocaine in his vehicle at the time, authorities said Tuesday.
Mohamed Alaouie, 44, of Fort Lee, NJ, was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, assault, reckless endangerment, drug possession, driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired in the mayhem that unfolded about an hour after the New Year’s Eve ball drop several blocks north, cops said.
“A large quantity” of crack cocaine was recovered from Alaouie’s vehicle, police said.
The suspect has 10 prior arrests – including raps related to drugs and criminal possession of stolen property, according to sources.
Monday’s incident began when bystanders noticed that Alaouie was fighting with his 34-year-old girlfriend inside his moving black Mercedes-Benz, sources said.
The bystanders flagged down cops on foot post, and the officers tried to intervene, according to authorities and police sources.
But instead of stopping his vehicle, Alaouie took off, striking several marked police cars, two police officers and four pedestrians, cops said.
The injured cops were hospitalized in stable condition with minor injuries, authorities said.
Three women, 29, 31 and 39, also were struck and taken to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries, cops and sources said.
The fleeing driver rammed into a halal cart along the way – causing another passer-by, a 39-year-old woman, to become pinned underneath it, cops and sources said.
She was taken to Bellevue, miraculously with only minor injuries, officials said.
Alaouie hurtled his Mercedes up and down multiple city streets on West 33rd and 34th streets, between Sixth and Ninth Avenues, during the violence, authorities and sources said.
He repeatedly swerved from the street to the sidewalk and back, also striking a parked unoccupied pick-up truck and a Toyota Camry, which in turn was pushed into a Ford van, sources said.
“I was scared. Everybody was scared,” said cab driver Sheikh Milon, who reported that his vehicle was struck during the “chaotic” rampage. “[The suspect] could have killed me and other people on the street. He could have killed the police officers. He didn’t care about anyone so he could have hit us and killed us.”
Video obtained by The Post showed multiple cops surrounding the Mercedes at West 34th Street and 9th Avenue, where Alaouie was finally taken into custody.
He was initially transported to Bellevue in critical but stable condition, but by Monday afternoon, his condition was considered stable, authorities said.
His girlfriend was also hospitalized with minor injuries, cops and sources said.
