NEW YORK—A man has been charged in relation to hit-and-run car chase that went from Queens to Brooklyn on Wednesday morning, Aug.21. Eight people were injured, including two police officers.
Staten Island resident Chance Deespina was charged with driving under the influence, after he left the scene of an accident in Queens, According to the indictment.
Police allegedly chased Deespina through several red lights, the wrong way down a one-way street. The chase reached speeds exceeding 80 miles an hour, before Deespina crashed into a BMW with five occupants. He is currently in a hospital with a broken hip.
“What allegedly began as a relatively minor vehicle accident turned into a terrifying incident for police and civilians alike when the defendant attempted to escape justice,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a press release.
Deespina, 31, is charged with two counts of second degree assault, one count of first degree reckless endangerment, one count of third-degree unlawful fleeing from a police officer in a motor vehicle, one count of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (Deespina refused a blood test), along with other violations of vehicle and traffic laws.
If convicted he faces up to seven years in prison.
