A driver identified as Juan Tenorio Ramos, 24, was arrested Sunday with a stash of drugs after a reckless driving incident in Brooklyn that narrowly missed an NYPD detective and caused significant property damage. The crash occurred around 8:25 a.m. on Henry Street in Carroll Gardens when Ramos, driving a white Mercedes with Florida plates, allegedly traveled the wrong way down the street.
Surveillance footage captured the Mercedes narrowly missing a detective before colliding with a blue Audi and then smashing into the front of the Garden Gourmet Deli and Grill. The impact shattered the deli's front display window and damaged the entrance door. The deli owner, Khalid Sarsour, 63, reported hearing a loud brake and then seeing a car "flying" into his establishment, expressing trauma from the event.
Authorities found Ramos in possession of a fanny pack containing heroin, MDMA, and LSD at the scene. Police confirmed he was not intoxicated at the time of the crash. The passenger in Ramos's vehicle sustained a fractured arm, and the driver of the Audi suffered a cut foot and whiplash. Both were hospitalized and reported in stable condition.
Ramos faces charges including criminal possession of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, and reckless driving. He was arraigned and granted supervised release on the non-bail-eligible charges.
Approximately ten minutes prior to the Brooklyn crash, Ramos allegedly sideswiped another Mercedes driver about a mile away and fled the scene, leaving that driver with whiplash. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident without reporting and reckless driving in that incident.
This is not Ramos's first encounter with law enforcement. On July 4, he was arrested on Staten Island for possession of cocaine with intent to sell. At that time, he was found with a switchblade and $3,900 in cash. He was also granted supervised release in that case. A previous arrest in April in Harlem for drug possession, aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, and failure to yield to a pedestrian also occurred, though the outcome of that case was not immediately clear.
A spokesperson for the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office commented on the repeated releases, stating, "Unfortunately, due to New York State’s so-called bail reform laws, all drug crimes are bail ineligible aside from one, allowing the vast majority of alleged drug dealers and traffickers to be released back onto the streets."