The man accused of leading police on a high-speed morning chase that ended with bullets flying in Bronx on Wednesday morning is facing a pair of felony charges.
On Wednesday, Mount Vernon officials announced that city resident Robert Johnson, 30 was to be arraigned on felony charges of criminal content and reckless endangerment for his role in the chase that ended with his female passenger taking a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
At approximately 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, police attempted to stop Johnson for a violation in Mount Vernon, when he sped away, taking off to Bronx. Police said that he rammed an official cruiser during the standoff before hopping a sidewalk and coming to a crashing halt at a gas station on East 234th Street near Bronx Boulevard.
Johnson may have been known to Mount Vernon police officers from previous run-ins. He is expected to face additional charges in Bronx.
In a statement, acting Mount Vernon Deputy Police Chief Roy Hastings said that the intentional ramming of the police cruiser prompted officers to discharge their weapons. In the altercation, Johnson’s passenger was struck once and treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx. It was not clear how many shots were fired during the incident.
