Heroes nab fiend as he tries to flee
HELL IN HEART OF CITY
A PAIR OF fast-acting bystanders helped police collar an outof-control motorist accused Wednesday of killing a young woman and plowing into more than 20 people in Times Square.
Richard Rojas, 26, did not appear to have a scratch on him when tour bus ticket agent Alpha Balde and a Planet Hollywood bouncer saw him sprinting away from the red Honda he allegedly used to drive into a lunchtime crowd in one of the city’s busiest intersections.
Balde, 57, a ticket agent for City Sightseeing, said the two men grabbed the driver and held him until cops took over.
“We saw the driver running toward Planet Hollywood in the middle of the block,” Balde said shortly after Rojas was arrested.
“The bouncer from Planet Hollywood knocked him out. He knocked him out so bad you could see the blood coming out of his face. That’s when I jumped in. I grabbed him from his neck and within about one minute, everybody’s there.” Balde (photo) said he didn’t want to take any chances.
“I ripped off his shirt,” he said. “We watch TV all the time. You have to make sure this guy doesn’t have anything under his shirt that’s going to damage you. So I ripped the shirt to find out no gun, no knife, no belt.”
Cops said Rojas had a history of drunken driving, but they had not yet determined if alcohol played a role in the crash.
Balde said he didn’t smell alcohol on Rojas, and that the driver didn’t appear to be drunk.
The man begged Balde to ease the grip on his neck. But Balde had other thoughts, admitting he tried to punch the driver. But cops arrived before he got the chance.