Brooklyn cops rushing to an emergency call crashed into a pedestrian and then smashed into a building, tree and car in East New York on Saturday night, police said.
“They were going to a job — their lights and sirens was on,” witness Raheime Pinchback said of the 6:45 p.m. crash near the intersection of New Lots Ave. and Jerome St.
The car swerved to avoid a boy of 11 or 12 who was walking with two women, said Pinchback. He said the car clipped the boy — but police said the car missed the child entirely.
Next the car jumped the curb, hitting the pedestrian, a 32-year-old man. Police said the crash broke both of his legs.
The car then slammed into a building, tree and another car before coming to a stop.
Pinchback ran up to the cop car and realized he knew the female officer in the passenger seat.
“I ran over to the two officers in the car and told them to sit down,” he said. “The male officer had a laceration to his right forehead. The female officer started crying. I told her to ‘Just stay down, I’m here, I got you.’ I held her hand.”
“It hurts when you can look at somebody that you know. When you get to a scene and it’s somebody you know it’s more touching,” said Pinchback, tearing up.
The boy, in shock, ran about 50 feet before collapsing near the intersection crying, said Pinchback. He said the women with the boy comforted him.
The male pedestrian hurt in the crash was reported in stable condition at Brookdale Hospital.
The two officers were taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is investigating the crash.
The crash occurred as the cops responded to a report of shots fired — eventually deemed unfounded — at the Livonia Ave. elevated subway stop, police said.