By Murray Weiss and Ben Fractenberg
DNAinfo News Editor
INWOOD — A man was discovered badly beaten and tied up inside the trunk of a BMW Wednesday morning after the driver smashed into a taxi, police said.
The man was found inside the trunk with his ear dangling from his head at the intersection of Dyckman Street and Tenth Avenue just before 10 a.m., police said.
The unidentified man, who had also been stabbed, suffered a strong blow to the head that virtually tore his entire ear off, sources said.
Police believe the man was confronted at his home before being dragged barefoot and stuffed in the trunk, sources said.
Police think the incident was drug-related and have identified a person of interest that may be the driver, sources said. They are currently exploring leads in upper Manhattan and New Jersey, sources added.
The car's license plate belonged to another a vehicle, and the BMW had recently changed hands, police said.
Vera Marino, 45, was working across the street at P.S. 5 shoveling snow and saw him being pulled from the trunk without shoes or socks.
"He was in the trunk, his feet were all dark," said Marino. "He looked unconscious."
Police said the man was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was listed in a stable condition.
Police were still searching for the driver, who fled up Tenth Avenue after the crash, sources said.
