U-Haul hits, injures eight people in Brooklyn

A man driving a U-Haul box truck veered onto sidewalks in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday morning and hit eight people. Two were in critical condition Monday afternoon. The suspect, a 62-year-old man, is now in custody, police said, and there is no further threat. Police have not determined a motive, but City Councilman Justin Brannan who represents the area said it was “obviously on purpose.” The police searched the truck for explosives but didn’t find any.

Has this happened before? In 2017, an Islamic extremist used a rented truck to kill eight people in New York City. On Monday afternoon, a New York jury deliberated whether he should get the death penalty. It is unclear whether Monday’s truck-pedestrian crash is related to the 2017 incident.

Dig deeper: From the archives, listen to Sarah Schweinsberg’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the increase in violence in American cities.