Feb. 14 (UPI) — A 44-year-old male who was struck by the U-Haul that tore through the streets of Brooklyn on Monday has died.
The deceased was riding his moped on Bay Ridge Parkway near Fifth Avenue when the U-Haul, driven by 62-year-old Weng Sor of Las Vegas, hit him. The victim died from his injuries on Tuesday, NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a press briefing.
Sor faces one count of second degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder for the seven other victims he hit during his rampage, according to Chief of Detectives James Essig.
Essig detailed the series of events that led up to Monday’s chaos. Sor, who resides with his mother in Las Vegas, traveled to West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 1, where he rented a U-Haul truck. On Feb. 4, he was pulled over in South Carolina and cited for reckless driving and possession of marijuana.
On Feb. 6, Sor arrived at the home of his ex-wife and son, Essig said. He returned on Feb. 8 to shower and got into an altercation with his son. He was in New Jersey on Sunday before returning to Brooklyn on Monday.
Essig said Sor was believed to be off of medication he uses to treat a mental illness and was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Police were able to surround Sor after he had been driving recklessly causing injuries to eight people including bicyclists, motorists and a police officer over the course of an hour, Sewell said.
“He states when he’s driving his van he sees an invisible object coming towards the car and at that point he says, ‘I’ve had enough,’ and he goes on his rampage,” Essig said. “He does say to the police when he was arrested, ‘You should’ve shot me.'”