Gridlock rage fuels shooting at Empire State

By JOE WILLIAMS and BILL EGBERT

August 15, 2000 Web posted at: 11:04 AM EDT (1504 GMT)

NEW YORK (The New York Daily News) -- An argument over a truck blocking traffic outside the Empire State Building erupted in gunfire yesterday when someone in the truck opened fire on a sport-utility vehicle honking its horn, cops said.

After five shots rang out about 3 p.m. on busy W. 33rd St., four men dashed from the U-Haul truck into the Empire State and up to the 14th floor, where they worked, according to police.

No one was injured in the incident, but at least one bullet struck the blue Chevy Suburban, which sped away.

"I guess someone was in a hurry, because one minute they were honking the horn, the next minute there were shots fired," said Patrick Chow of Manhattan, who was making a delivery on the building's 33rd St. loading dock.

Chow said four men who were moving boxes from a 14th-floor office attempted to park the U-Haul truck nearby, apparently blocking traffic on the one-way street. Witnesses said the driver of the Suburban, which also was carrying a passenger, began honking his horn, leading quickly to an argument.

After the gunshot hit the Suburban, its driver headed west to Sixth Ave. and flagged down a cop. Building security personnel worked with officers, who arrested the four movers and recovered the weapon.

"One of the men in the U-Haul fired four shots at the other vehicle," said Assistant Police Chief William Taylor. "Then they ran inside the building. They got up to the 14th floor, and our officers went up there and arrested them."

Their identities were not immediately available.

"Building security was very cooperative," said police spokesman Michael Collins. "They pointed the guys out to us. Without them, we wouldn't have made the arrests so quickly."

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