NEW YORK — A Staten Island pub owner slammed his car into a sheriff's deputy in a desperate effort to evade arrest for continuing to serve patrons in defiance of coronavirus restrictions, authorities said Sunday.
Daniel Presti, owner of Mac's Pub, hopped in his car and hit the gas, sending the deputy flying onto the hood after the official tried to arrest him outside for serving customers inside his bar Saturday night, officials said.
The sheriff's deputy suffered multiple bone fractures and was transported to Staten Island University Hospital.
"He just doesn't care about people's lives. That's what this comes down to," said Bill Neidhardt, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"He doesn't care if his pub spreads a deadly virus. He doesn't care if a uniformed officer is clinging for life on the hood of his car. It's truly horrible and unacceptable, and the people of New York City will reject this disgusting way of thinking."
The New York City Sheriff's Office had been conducting surveillance on the bar that has been a center point for virus-shutdown ire.
Despite blacked out windows obscuring the view inside the bar, deputies spotted patrons being led into the shuttered building next door then ushered through a back door into the pub where alcohol and food was being served with no masks, officials said.
Mac's Pub had been shut down on Monday and it's liquor license revoked after Presti continued to serve booze and food inside the bar located in an orange zone where restaurants are only allowed to serve diners outdoors or takeout due to rising COVID rates.
As a workaround to the liquor license, the pub released a video declaring they would stay open but serve alcohol for free, only taking donations.
Despite the tactic, restaurants and bars still need liquor licenses to serve alcohol, even if it's free.
With enough evidence that the pub failed to follow COVID guidelines, the Sheriff's Office laid in wait until Presti walked out around midnight.
Headed to his car parked nearby, two deputies identified themselves and stopped Presti, but the bar owner ran off, hopped in his car and hit the gas, officials said.
Presti allegedly slammed into one of the deputies, who toppled over the bumper and clung to the hood as bar owner drove the car 100 yards down the road before other officers stopped him, officials said.
Presti was arrested and taken to the 122nd Precinct stationhouse.
"After a hard days work the sheriffs hid like snakes in the grass and waited till Danny left to finally go home and get some rest! They had 6 undercover cars swarm him as he was getting in his car," the bar owner posted on Facebook. "We will not back down! You have not scared us!! The world is watching and it's time for everyone to wake up!"
Charges against Presti are pending, officials said.
