Omatoyo Neverson, the “crazy” driver fatally shot by NYPD officers after allegedly ramming police cruisers on the Belt Parkway Saturday, had been arrested 25 times and was wanted in connection with an alleged assault on his former girlfriend, law-enforcement sources said.
Neverson, 26, was still being sought over an accusation that he threw his ex-girlfriend to the ground in Brooklyn on Nov. 2. He allegedly attempted to abduct her shortly before 7:30 p.m. Saturday, triggering the police chase that ended with officers opening fire on the busy parkway, according to sources.
He had also been accused of unlawful imprisonment after allegedly preventing the woman from leaving her apartment during a separate confrontation in October 2024.
“He was crazy,” a former Brooklyn neighbor told The Post on Sunday. “He had a gun.
“He had his grandmother locked inside there with him,” the woman said, referring to a home where Neverson once lived. “He was a squatter.
“It was a horrible few years — about five years that he lived here,” she added. “He rented out the downstairs even though he didn’t own the property. He was a crazy guy.”
Sources said Neverson’s criminal record includes at least 25 arrests, including 22 cases that were sealed and one that was voided.
Police were called Saturday after 911 received reports of a possible abduction. Bystanders said a woman was screaming for help from inside a white van.
Witnesses told police the woman managed to escape. When officers arrived, however, the van sped away, launching a high-speed pursuit with Neverson allegedly at the wheel.
Officers established a roadblock on the Belt Parkway near Exit 8. Police said Neverson repeatedly slammed the van into several police cruisers and civilian vehicles in an effort to flee.
Dramatic video captured officers attempting to break the van’s windows as the driver continued crashing into vehicles. Sources said Neverson kept ramming the cars even after officers used a Taser on him.
Police ultimately fired their weapons as the van accelerated toward officers at the scene. Neverson was taken to NYU Langone Brooklyn Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An NYPD lieutenant and three officers involved in the confrontation were placed on modified duty. The shooting is being examined by the New York state attorney general’s office, as required in cases involving police gunfire in the state.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore
