Times Square car crash driver Richard Rojas 'heard voices'

[C Moon]

Source: BBC

A man who drove a car along three blocks of pavement in New York's Times Square, killing a teenager and injuring 22 people, said he had "heard voices", according to law enforcement sources.

Richard Rojas, 26, a US navy veteran who was arrested twice previously for drunk driving, is now in custody.

He also said he expected to die, the sources told AP news agency.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39971309

[Princess Turandot]

1. He was flying on something...

he had been driving down 7th Avenue, a one-way south bound street. When he reached 42nd Street, he inexplicably made a U-turn in the intersection, and started back up 7th, but on the sidewalk.

Link to tweet

This happened just before noon. Ten minutes later, there would have people streaming out of area office buildings going to lunch. Even more people likely would have been hurt.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Lack of adequate health care. PTSD? Pre-existing condition? . . . nt

[Honeycombe8]

3. What I read, he was intoxicated. Yeah, I'd say I heard voices, too, prepping for an insanity plea.

This sorry excuse for a human being needs to be locked up for the rest of his life. He's a habitual drunk who was foreseeably going to kill someone.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. It's way beyond just being drunk

This wasn't loss of control or judgement; this was killing on purpose. He did a U turn and drove the wrong way for 3 blocks. He meant to carry on hitting people.

[tblue37]

8. He also, according to reports, demanded that the cops shoot him, yelling that he meant to kill those

people. It sounds like suicide by cop + wanting to go out with a bang and become famous for it.

[forgotmylogin]

6. And he has priors.

He's going to jail or a medical facility.

[Mosby]

11. I read he smoked some pcp.

[Ilsa]

4. PTSD and use of alcohol to cope?

Lack of sleep can cause one to hear voices, hallucinate.

This is so tragic. So many people hurt, and one killed.

[targetpractice]

9. Many PTSD cases are undiagnosed Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries...

New research shows the sonic blast wave from IEDs can cause micro-injuries in the brain.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/us/ptsd-blast-waves-research.html?_r=0

[Ilsa]

10. Sounds right and applicable. nt

[SunSeeker]

7. Such a disappointment for SHARTUS! He was SO hoping this was a terrorist.

Alas, he was just another veteran we let languish without adequate mental health care.