A reckless driver whose car has racked up 160 traffic violations was arrested in the horrific hit-run crash that killed a 3-month-old girl in Brooklyn over the weekend, cops said Sunday.
Wrong-way driver Tyrik Mott, 28 — whose vehicle has been caught speeding more than 90 times near city schools and habitually failing to stop at traffic signals — had been spotted by cops blowing through a red light before the fatal crash, an NYPD spokesman said.
The officers who saw Mott blow through the light were headed in the opposite direction at the time, and by the time they did a U-turn to try to catch the driver, they had lost sight of him, the rep said.
Mott went on to crash into another car, killing the baby being pushed in a stroller by her mom on the sidewalk, cops said. Three other people also were injuredin the crash, which occurred around 6 p.m. Saturday in Clinton Hill, police said.
Mott was nabbed after fleeing the scene on foot and trying to steal another driver’s car, according to authorities.
The suspect was allegedly driving a 2017 dark silver Honda Civic in the wrong direction on Gates Avenue when his car collided with a 2020 black Honda Civic operated by a 49-year-old woman at Vanderbilt Avenue, cops said.
The 2017 Honda, which has Pennsylvania plates, was previously captured by automated speed cameras zooming past Big Apple schools at least 10 mph above the speed limit 91 times since fall 2017, city records show.
The vehicle was caught on camera speeding in school zones an astonishing 35 times in 2021 alone, including on seven occasions since summer began, according to records.
The car was also caught running red lights 14 times since 2017, including five occasions in recent months, data shows.
The slew of other violations against the vehicle ranged from blocking a crosswalk to parking too close to a fire hydrant to expired meters.
In February 2020, the Big Apple passed a law allowing city agencies to seize vehicles with five red light camera or 15 speed camera violations within a 12-month period, unless the operator completes a driver safety course.
It’s unclear how or why Mott was allowed on the road.
In Saturday’s collision, the baby flew 15 to 20 feet in the air upon impact, a witness had told The Post. Her 33-year-old mom and a 36-year-old male pedestrian were also injured, according to cops.
“Oh my God, it’s horrifying,” a local resident told The Post on Sunday. “This makes me sick. My wife and I, we’re expecting. and this is horrifying.
“It happened right here, right down the block,” he said, noting the crash scene about a half-mile away.
The man called the baby’s parents, who are French, “super nice.
“They were on vacation overseas the whole month of August. Europe,” he said.
Mott allegedly took off on foot after the crash and tried to steal a 41-year-old driver’s 2020 Hyundai, cops said.
He was arrested a short time later and charged with attempted robbery, attempted grand larceny, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration, officials said. He is expected to face homicide charges when arraigned, police said.
“When this guy ran from the scene initially, he attempted to steal another vehicle to evade police,” a police spokesman said.
The critically injured baby was taken to Brooklyn Hospital but couldn’t be saved. Her mom was taken to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and listed in serious condition.
The male pedestrian was taken to Brooklyn Hospital in stable condition. The 49-year-old other Honda driver was taken to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in stable condition.
Additional reporting by Joe Marino and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
