6 hurt when SUV fleeing police slams into home on Staten Island: "I thought it was an earthquake"
NEW YORK -- Six people were hurt when a police chase ended in a crash early Thursday morning on Staten Island.
Police said an SUV was fleeing officers when it slammed into a home at around 3:30 a.m. on Van Duzer Street in Stapleton Heights.
Neighbor Joana Dawe told CBS2's Kevin Rincon she was asleep inside her house, which is connected to the one that was hit.
"I was seeping and the bed shook. There was a loud bang. The door flew open. I thought it was an earthquake at first, but then I smelled smoke and I heard people screaming," she said.
There were nine people inside the two homes, and six suffered minor injuries, police said.
"We were sleeping at 3 o'clock in the morning. And then we suddenly heard like an explosion, a great explosion," resident Frank Richeta said, adding it's lucky no one was seriously hurt.
Surveillance video from across the street shows the SUV speeding down a turn, trying to get away from police, before the driver loses control. Police were right behind and were able to arrest the suspect.
"I had to call 911 and say, 'I don't know what happened, but I can't get out of my house. My smoke alarm is going off, and there's people screaming,'" Dawe said.
The front of Dawe's home was blocked in, and her daughter said they had to wait for help to get out.
"The firefighters came in through the back door, and then took us out through the back door, and we went up the outside stairs," said Amelia Sanders.
"Basically, it was like somebody delivered a load of coal or a bunch of bricks. Just like everything collapsed," neighbor Philip Sanders added.
The SUV bounced off the building, then stopped in front of a guardrail. The front of the home was smashed in, and it had to be vacated as the Department of Buildings worked to make sure it was safe for people to go back inside.
Police said the driver, 38-year-old Michael Robles, was initially pulled over for a broken taillight. Officers noticed a crack pipe inside, and that's when he lead them on a chase that ended on Van Duzer Street. Police said the driver had a suspended license, the car wasn't registered, and claim he was in possession of a controlled substance.
