Brooklyn Man Driving U-Haul Truck Plows Through Pedestrian; Says He 'Wanted To Die'

One man died after several people were struck and injured in Brooklyn Monday by a U-Haul truck driven by a homeless man, who told police he wanted to die.

The 44-year-old victim suffered injuries to his head after being struck by the U-Haul, which police said was driven by a 62-year-old homeless man who seemed to have been living in the truck, WABC reported.

The victim, who was not identified, was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect hit at least one pedestrian in Brooklyn's bustling Bay Ridge neighborhood before police tried to stop and pull him over.

When officers approached the suspect, the man said, "Shoot me, I'm not stopping," and that he "wanted to die."

The suspect then fled the scene and drove straight onto the sidewalk, striking multiple pedestrians in just half an hour Monday morning.

According to the police, at least nine people were struck during the mayhem, including a 33-year-old police officer who suffered injuries to his leg. The other victims are said to be in stable condition.

The suspect tried to escape the police and got onto the Gowanus Expressway heading north. He exited onto Hamilton Avenue and was surrounded by police at Columbia Street in Red Hook near the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.

Police took the man into custody for questioning at the 68th precinct. As of this writing, he has not been charged yet.

The bomb squad also responded to the scene to search the truck. They found nothing suspicious, according to police.

A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that he has been briefed and that "there are no additional credible threats."

The suspect's son, Stephen Sor, identified the U-Haul driver as Weng Sor, a troubled man with a history of harmful behavior and stints behind bars, the Associated Press reported.

Stephen said his father had a history of mental illness and, until recently, was living in Las Vegas, where records show that he was convicted and served time for multiple acts of violence, including stabbing his own brother.

Former NYPD chief of detectives and ABC News contributor Robert Boyce said that it's difficult to not compare this incident to a man driving a truck through a crowded street in Manhattan in 2017, killing and injuring several people.

Monday's incident also coincided with the start of the death penalty phase in Sayfullo Saipov's trial.

"It's the first thing I thought," Boyce said. "I worked the Sayfullo Saipov case. I remember how dangerous it was and what he did and how deadly it was. That was the first thing that came to mind when I heard about the rented truck. So let's hope it's not that and it's a person in mental distress at this point and it's nothing more than that. It's difficult to link the two right now but how can you not think about that?"

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described Monday's incident as a "violent rampage" but said there was no evidence of "terrorism involvement."