Police fatally shot a kidnapping suspect on the Belt Parkway Saturday night after he allegedly breached a police roadblock, struck multiple vehicles and refused to stop his white van, according to sources.
The incident began when officers received reports of a possible abduction involving a young child who was heard screaming inside a cargo van bearing New Jersey plates.
Police tried to stop the van after spotting it near Exit 8. The driver allegedly refused to pull over and continued eastbound on the Belt Parkway at roughly 7:30 p.m., sources said.
An officer moved ahead of traffic and established a roadblock, but the alleged kidnapper rammed police and civilian vehicles, according to sources.
Officers at the scene then broke the van’s windows and used a Taser on the suspect, described by sources as a Black man in his 30s.
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When those efforts failed to stop him, police opened fire, fatally striking the driver. Sources said no child was found inside the van.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was taken to NYU Langone in Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 8 p.m.
The confrontation brought traffic to a standstill as authorities shut down both directions of the highway while they investigated.
Several damaged vehicles, apparently struck by the van, remained scattered across the roadway. Police later questioned the drivers as witnesses.
