Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s assertion about their “near catastrophic car chase” created a media frenzy on Wednesday because the couple’s detractors forged doubt on their declare that aggressive paparazzi wreaked havoc on the streets of New York City.
“Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi. This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” a spokesperson advised Yahoo. (Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, was with them.) “While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.”
The NYPD, Mayor Eric Adams and even a taxi driver concerned have all spoken out in the aftermath of the state of affairs. Here’s what we all know concerning the timeline of occasions surrounding the incident.
Tuesday, May 17
8:00 p.m.: Harry and Meghan attend an awards occasion at Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan. The Duchess of Sussex was honored by the Ms. Foundation for Women for her international advocacy work empowering girls and women.
9:50 p.m.: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex depart the occasion with their personal safety group and chaos ensues. The couple, together with Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, try to get again to the place they’re staying on the Upper East Side, however don’t need paparazzi to know the situation. The NYPD later confirms police “assisted” as photographers “made their transport challenging.”
The automobiles spend about one hour driving in circles between FDR Drive and West 57th Street, a police supply tells Page Six, earlier than stopping at a precinct.
Other sources declare two uniformed police have been “nearly missed” by paparazzi as Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, left the theater.
10:50 p.m. (approx): A car transporting Meghan and Harry arrives on the New York City Police Department’s nineteenth precinct on East 67th Street. Two senior regulation enforcement sources inform NBC New York they stayed there round quarter-hour earlier than police assist safe them one other car.
11:05 p.m. (approx): Meghan, Harry and Ragland bounce right into a taxi cab. The driver, Sukhcharn Singh, later tells the Washington Post he drove the group a block and a half west to Park Avenue earlier than heading south. He says they have been pursued by two autos.
“They kept following us and were coming next to the car,” he remembers. “They took pictures as we stopped and were filming us.”
The couple’s safety advised Singh to return to the precinct. The driver estimates that they have been in the cab for 10 minutes.
“I don’t think I would call it a chase,” the motive force notes. “I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York — it’s safe.”
11:15 p.m. (approx): Meghan and Harry return to the precinct. It’s unclear how lengthy they’re there, however the NYPD says the group finally returned safely to the Upper East Side. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard,” they later share.
Wednesday, May 18
A spokesperson for the couple points the scathing assertion towards the paparazzi, which instantly attracts comparisons to the late Princess Diana. It did not take lengthy for some to query the couple’s declare of an aggressive pursuit by the paparazzi “lasting over two hours” in New York City — together with public officers.
During an unrelated press convention, Mayor Adams expresses doubt concerning the size, however cautions even a 10-minute chase is “extremely dangerous.” He says he was knowledgeable “two of our officers could have been injured.”
In the afternoon, a “high-ranking source” throughout the NYPD, in response to Page Six, reiterates the division’s assertion that cops had “no collision reports or 911 calls” associated to the incident.
“We only had one car as part of this. [The chase] definitely wasn’t two hours,” the insider alleges.
Harry and Meghan don’t subject one other assertion regardless of scrutiny. However, a member of their safety group, Chris Sanchez, speaks on the document to CNN.
“What we were dealing with was very chaotic,” Sanchez, a former Secret Service member, shares. “I have never seen, experienced anything like this. There were about a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles.”
“The public have been in jeopardy at a number of factors. It may have been deadly. They have been leaping curbs and purple lights. At one level they blocked the limousine (carrying the couple) and began taking photos till we have been capable of get out,” he adds.
Sanchez says he “was involved about them [Harry and Meghan] however extra concerning the public as a result of they [the paparazzi] have been being so erratic. People have been on sidewalks and crossing streets and the [paparazzi] have been crossing purple lights. We did all the things by the letter of regulation.”
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