Baby discovered in back seat after high-speed chase in New York and fatal shooting of passenger

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This article was published 05/12/2024 (365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — A baby survived a high-speed police chase on Thursday in New York City that ended with a passenger in the car being fatally shot by officers and the driver wounded.

Police only discovered there was an infant inside after they had stopped the car and fired multiple rounds, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said during an afternoon news conference.

“At a certain point, while officers were engaged, one of the officers started yelling, ‘baby, baby’ to tell officers to stop firing,” said Maddrey, explaining how an officer then jumped inside the car and removed the infant from the back seat.

The incident began around 3 p.m. when police were notified of possible shots fired in Brooklyn by the gunshot detection system ShotSpotter. Maddrey said a witness described seeing a vehicle with an out-of-state license plate hanging by a screw, which police later found and subsequently followed.

Maddrey said the car then sped up and ran multiple red rights until it stopped in heavy traffic. When officers approached the car with guns drawn, demanding the occupants show their hands, he said a male passenger tried to exit and pointed a gun at the police. As the officers fired at him, the woman driver attempted to run off but was later apprehended, he said.

She suffered two gunshot wounds to her thigh. It was unclear whether she was shot by police.

Police have not yet released the name of the man who was killed but said he was wanted for a homicide that occurred in March. Maddrey said none of the officers involved were shot and the baby was taken to an area hospital and “was safe.”