Driver Charged With Murder After Ramming Cyclist With SUV

The driver who used his SUV to intentionally mow down a cyclist in Bushwick this weekend has been charged with murder.

According to police, the fatal confrontation began at around 6 a.m. on Sunday, after 41-year-old Korey Johnson witnessed the cyclist attempting to break into his car. The two got into a heated argument, and at one point the cyclist used a screw driver to slash at the arm of a female bystander, the driver later told police.

As the man attempted to flee on his bike, Johnson got in his vehicle, traveling the wrong way down Marcus Garvey Boulevard before striking the cyclist on Broadway near Ellery Street. Graphic surveillance footage obtained by the Daily News shows the driver ramming the cyclist, striking multiple cars, then flipping the vehicle on its side.

Johnson was taken into custody at the scene, and subsequently charged with murder and manslaughter.

Witnesses said the crime scene remained blocked off well into Monday afternoon. "There were parts scattered around the entire block, showing the force of the crash," Carla Sanderson, an attorney and nearby resident, told Gothamist.

Debris scattered across Broadway reportedly included multiple car stereos, a set of Allen wrenches, a screwdriver and a fake pistol, as well as the victim's mangled bicycle.

Photos of Johnson's vehicle show his license plate tucked into the dashboard, alongside what appears to be a neon work vest. The SUV has incurred five parking and camera violations in 2019, including two tickets for speeding in a school zone and one for missing a front or back license plate, according to public records.

The cyclist's name has not yet been released. He is the 21st person to die while biking on city streets this year, a more than twofold increase from the total fatalities in 2018.

"All of them are tragic, but the blatant intentionality present here is simply sick," wrote Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, who represents the neighborhood, in a tweet on Monday. "This is car culture. It needs to stop."

Johnson is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon.