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Drunk Driver Attacks Passenger, Transit Officer After Car Crash, Police Say

By Dartunorro Clark | April 24, 2017 9:54am

EAST HARLEM — A drunk driver flew into a fit of rage and attacked the passenger of a car he crashed into before punching a transit officer who responded to the scene, the NYPD said.

Christopher Velez, 26, was exiting the Triborough Bridge, near 600 E. 125th St., when he crashed into another car on April 13 around 9:30 a.m., police said.

Velez, whose vehicle had New Jersey plates, then got into an altercation with the other car’s 58-year-old passenger, the NYPD said.

When an officer with the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Transportation Authority arrived at the scene, Velez began hitting the officer in the face multiple times, officials said.

Police at the scene said he had bloodshot eyes, the smell of alcohol on his breath and and a flushed face, according to his criminal complaint. 

Velez was arrested and brought to the 28th Precinct, where he took a Breathalyzer test showing he had a blood alcohol content of .108, above the legal limit of .08, police said.

He was charged with three counts of driving under the influence, three assault charges and a harassment charge, according to court records.

He was held on $1,500 bond, according to the complaint. 

A lawyer for Velez could not be reached for comment.