Driver Charged With Speeding Around Manhattan In Video Nixes Plea Deal
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A driver facing criminal charges over a fast lap around Manhattan is rebuffing a plea offer involving two months in jail for a stunt seen online.
Christopher Adam Tang pleaded not guilty Tuesday to reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.
He was arrested in September. A dashboard-camera video showed a BMW making a 26.4-mile loop around Manhattan in 24 minutes and 7 seconds.
Defense lawyer Gregory Gomez says there's no proof Tang acted recklessly. Tang told authorities he never went over 100 mph and ran only one red light. The video shows the car stopping for six others.
Prosecutors said they'd OK a 60-day jail sentence and 15 days of community service if Tang pleaded guilty.
Gomez says the Canadian wants to avoid any criminal record because of possible immigration complications.
Going by the name "AfroDuckProduction" the poster of the YouTube video boasted about beating a previous record-breaking drive around Manhattan.
"Records are made to be broken," the video description reads.
The video shows the car heading south on the FDR Drive from 116th Street to Battery Park and then up West Street back to 116th Street. A superimposed stopwatch on the screen records the lap time.
The video has been viewed more than 800,000 times.
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