Sussexes in ‘near-catastrophic’ paparazzi car chase
Duke and Duchess claim incident on streets of New York could have ended in a catastrophe
THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed yesterday that they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi photographers.
The couple, accompanied by Doria Ragland, the Duchess’s mother, said they were subjected to a two-hour “relentless pursuit” by a “gang” of at least six paparazzi in vehicles with blacked-out windows after leaving an awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday night.
New York City authorities last night played down the severity of the incident, saying that although photographers had made the Sussexes’ journey “challenging”, there had been “no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests”. Eric Adams, the New York mayor, said: “I would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour, highspeed chase.”
Three law enforcement officials also told US network NBC News they would not describe it as a chase.
According to the couple, the pursuit lasted more than two hours and resulted in several near collisions.
A source close to the couple said they had been forced to seek refuge in a police station on three occasions as they sought to shake off the photographers.
At one point, in a failed attempt to create a decoy, they swapped their SUV for a yellow taxi.
But they were swiftly identified, and pictures and videos later posted online showed the vehicle illuminated by continuous camera flashes. The Duchess could be seen wedged between the Duke and her mother in the back seat as the Duke appeared to use his mobile phone to film the photographers.
It is understood that the trio were staying at a friend’s house but felt unable to return there as they were being followed.
They said they eventually made it back at 12.30am after “waiting it out” long enough to lose the paparazzi.
A taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes at the height of the incident suggested it had “not been a chase” and that no one was in danger.
The incident comes as the Duke fights a government decision not to allow him and his family automatic police protection when they are in the UK.
He has launched applications for two separate judicial reviews of the decision but was warned at a hearing this week that specialist protection officers could not be bought as “private bodyguards for the wealthy”.
The Duke has repeatedly expressed his concern about “history repeating itself”, referring to the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi in Paris in 1997.
In a lengthy statement released
‘I would find it hard to believe there was a twohour, high-speed chase’
shortly after 3pm (10am in New York) yesterday, the Sussexes’ representative said: “Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.
“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”
Meanwhile, a member of the Sussexes’ security team gave his own account of the events to CNN.
In an unusual move, Chris Sanchez identified himself, saying: “I have never seen, experienced anything like this. What we were dealing with was very chaotic. There were about a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles.
“The public were in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal.
“They were jumping curbs and red lights. At one point they blocked the limousine [carrying the couple] and started taking pictures until we were able to get out.”
Mr Sanchez said he “was concerned about the principals [the Duke and Duchess] but more about the public because they [the paparazzi] were being so erratic.”
He added: “People were on sidewalks and crossing streets and the [paparazzi] were crossing red lights. We did everything by the letter of law.”
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, the New York mayor raised the circumstances of the death of the Duke’s mother.
Mr Adams said: “I don’t think there are many of us who don’t recall how his mom died. It would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander in something like this and for something to happen to (the Duke and Duchess) as well.”
However, he suggested that the unfolding incident may not have been quite as dramatic as suggested by the Sussexes – although he admitted that two of his officers “could have been” injured. “We have to be extremely
‘They were jumping curbs and red lights. At one point they blocked the limo and started taking pictures’
‘It wasn’t like a car chase in the movies. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe’
responsible,” he said. “I thought that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.
“I would find it hard to believe there was a two-hour, high-speed chase… but we will find out the exact duration.
“A 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous. We have a lot of traffic, movement, a lot of people use our streets.
“Anything that involves a chase is inappropriate.”
Mr Adams added: “It’s clear that the press paparazzis want to get the right shot and the right story but public safety must always be at the forefront.”
Julian Phillips, a deputy commissioner at the NYPD, said that the police department had assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess.
He said: “There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”
The taxi driver who picked up the couple during Tuesday night’s car chase said he was paid $50, including a $33 tip, to drive them one and a half blocks. Sukhcharn Singh picked up the couple outside a police station in Manhattan.
Speaking from their home in Queens, Maninder Kaur, 36, the driver’s wife, told The Telegraph: “He said they suddenly got in his taxi and, just a few minutes after, they left. He knew he was the Prince but he didn’t know anything about what happened. A garbage truck came in front of them... They left his taxi and paid his fare and then went.”
Mr Singh told the BBC suggestions of a “near catastrophic chase” might have been exaggerated. He said he did not think the paparazzi were being “aggressive”. “[The paparazzi] were behind us... they kept their distance.”
The driver said they were pursued by two vehicles: a black Honda Accord and an older grey Honda CR-V.
“They kept following us and were coming next to the car,” Mr Singh said. “They took pictures as we stopped and were filming us.”
Mr Singh said he got the impression that they had been already pursued by paparazzi before getting into his vehicle.
He recalled that after a few minutes, the security guard grew concerned about the photographers and asked him to return to the police station.
Mr Singh also told The Washington Post: “I don’t think I would call it a chase. I never felt like I was in danger.
“It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York – it’s safe.”
The Sussexes and Ms Ragland had spent the evening at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown, where the Duchess had accepted a Women of Vision award celebrating feminist champions. She told the audience: “You can be the visionary of your own life.”
It was the couple’s first public appearance together since the Coronation and there was intense interest in the event, with numerous photographers lining up outside the venue to capture pictures of the Duchess in a gold Johanna Ortiz dress.
The group left the gala at around 10pm and were photographed as they made their way from the exit to one of two waiting SUVS. A bystander shouted: “Meghan, we love you.” A bodyguard got into the front of their vehicle, and others followed behind.
The ballroom is five blocks south of Central Park, between 6th and 7th Avenues.
Accompanied by members of their private protection team, the couple had expected to head straight back to their friend’s house on the Upper East Side but are understood to have felt they were immediately tailed by a “gang” of around a dozen paparazzi on motorcycles, scooters and in vehicles.
In order to try to lose them, they are said to have been driven across 57th St and other streets for around 75 minutes, escorted at all times by an NYPD police car. Their driver attempted various attempts to use decoys, to divert the photographers or to shake them off, including one in which sources said police officers were almost run over, prompting the Sussexes to attend the police station.
One source said the paparazzi were driving so recklessly that it was not just the lives of the Sussexes and Ms Ragland that were put at risk but those of the public on the streets.
The photographers are said to have driven on pavements, jumped red lights and reversed down one-way streets. They are also alleged to have been driving while talking on their phones and taking pictures.
The chase is alleged to have been at its most intense on the FDR Drive – a highway on the east side of Manhattan.
Those involved are understood to have been confronted by uniformed police on multiple occasions, but continued the pursuit. The group was driven to the NYPD’S 19th precinct on East 67th Street, where they stayed for around 15 minutes before attempting to leave in a taxi.
The plan was described as a “last ditch” attempt to get home safely but they were immediately spotted.
The images appeared overnight on the Mailonline website, but were later taken down.
The Duke has two outstanding legal actions against the website’s publisher, Associated News Limited; one over allegations concerning phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering and the other concerning a Mail on Sunday story about his case against the Home Office.
In a video posted by the celebrity news website TMZ, the Duke and Duchess could be seen in a yellow Toyota taxi with a bodyguard in the front passenger seat, as several photographers took photos with flashes going off constantly. A doorman identified only as Martin B, who was on shift at a block of luxury apartments on 67th Street, said: “There were a bunch of cops running out of the precinct, we saw a bunch of trucks pull up. They kind of blocked off the street for a little while But I couldn’t see a chase or anything like that.”
The incident was said to have been particularly shocking for Meghan’s mother Ms Ragland, who was left “terrified” by the ordeal, one source said.
The Duke and Duchess are understood to have been “shaken” and “exhausted” but thankful that everyone was safe.
Many members of the Sussexes’ team were up all night as they digested the evening’s events and were said to have been left “terrified” by the experience.
Police are understood to be involved in trying to identify the photographers involved.
The incident comes after an alleged stalker was arrested outside the Sussexes’ California mansion in the early hours of Monday morning. The Sher
iff ’s office said Kevin Garcia Valdovinos, 29, was arrested when the couple’s security team spotted the man near the home in Montecito around 2am.
It is unclear whether the couple or their children Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, one, were at home at the time of the incident.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Office told The Telegraph they received a call at 2.11am on Monday, May 15, from the security team.
The security staff performed a citizen’s arrest on Valdovinos and “detained [him] at a service entrance” to the property, the sheriff ’s office said.
Officers then arrived and took him into custody.
Valdovinos, from Lake Elsinore, a city 160 miles south of Montecito, was booked for misdemeanour stalking and later released on $2,500 bail.
According to the website TMZ, the suspect’s interaction with the security team “triggered” the arrest.
It is unclear what the suspect said or did. The suspect did not make it on to the property.