A Bronx man was arrested after police say he was driving a stolen Dodge Charger recklessly during a street takeover — in which drivers perform stunts and block traffic — in Bayside and later crashed into a stone wall and a parked vehicle in Queens Village.
Macdiel Mejia-Avila, 22, of Victor Street in the Bronx, was arrested shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, after officers responded to a report of multiple vehicles drag racing near 26th Avenue and Bell Boulevard in Bayside, according to the NYPD.
Police said the vehicles had dispersed by the time officers arrived. During a search of the surrounding area, a detective with the Patrol Borough Queens North Community Response Team spotted Mejia-Avila driving a burgundy 2020 Dodge Charger without license plates.
According to the criminal complaint, the detective saw Mejia-Avila driving at a high rate of speed and allowing the vehicle to drift and spin near other vehicles and pedestrians. Some pedestrians had to move out of the way to avoid being struck, the complaint alleges.
When police activated their lights and sirens, Mejia-Avila continued fleeing and eventually crashed into a stone wall and a parked Hyundai near Range Street and 87th Avenue in Queens Village, according to the complaint.
A subsequent investigation determined that the Charger had been reported stolen and that Mejia-Avila did not have permission from its owner to drive it, police said.
The owner of the Hyundai reported more than $250 in damage to the vehicle’s front and rear passenger-side doors, while the owner of the stone wall reported more than $250 in damage, according to the criminal complaint.
A Bronx man was arrested after police say he was driving a stolen Dodge Charger recklessly during a street takeover in Bayside and later crashed into a stone wall and a parked vehicle in Queens Village.
Macdiel Mejia-Avila, 22, of Victor Street in the Bronx, was arrested shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, after officers responded to a report of multiple vehicles drag racing near 26th Avenue and Bell Boulevard in Bayside, according to the NYPD.
Police said the vehicles had dispersed by the time officers arrived. During a search of the surrounding area, a detective with the Patrol Borough Queens North Community Response Team spotted Mejia-Avila driving a burgundy 2020 Dodge Charger without license plates.
According to the criminal complaint, the detective saw Mejia-Avila driving at a high rate of speed and allowing the vehicle to drift and spin near other vehicles and pedestrians. Some pedestrians had to move out of the way to avoid being struck, the complaint alleges.
Police follow the trail
When police activated their lights and sirens, Mejia-Avila continued driving and eventually crashed into a stone wall and a parked Hyundai near Range Street and 87th Avenue in Queens Village, according to the complaint.
A subsequent investigation determined that the Charger had been reported stolen and that Mejia-Avila did not have permission from its owner to drive it, police said.
The owner of the Hyundai reported more than $250 in damage to the vehicle’s front and rear passenger-side doors, while the owner of the stone wall reported more than $250 in damage, according to the criminal complaint.
Mejia-Avila was arraigned later that day in Queens Criminal Court on charges including criminal possession of stolen property, criminal endangerment and criminal mischief, along with other related charges.
He pleaded not guilty and was granted supervised release, with a return to court scheduled for Nov. 17.