Police: 36-year-old Miguel Espinal shot during struggle with officers after chase

Special prosecutors are overseeing the investigation into the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man who was killed after a police chase across the Bronx and into Westchester on Tuesday. Police say officers

News 12 Staff

Dec 9, 2015, 10:14 PM

Updated 3,305 days ago

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Special prosecutors are overseeing the investigation into the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man who was killed after a police chase across the Bronx and into Westchester on Tuesday.
Police say officers were on patrol when they spotted a Nissan sedan driving recklessly. They say they tried to stop the car, but Miguel Espinal refused to pull over.
Officers say that Espinal then ran off into the woods, and when the pursuing officers attempted to take him into custody, a struggle occurred. They say one officer's firearm discharged and hit Espinal. 
Espinal's famliy says he was not armed at the time. They say they understand Espinal shouldn't have run, but they say he was killed due to police brutality.
The family also says that after 10 years away from home, Espinal recently returned to the tri-state area. They say he got into some trouble in Florida, and said he wanted to get a fresh start.
News 12 has learned that a 25-year-old man was in the passenger seat of the car during the incident. He was hospitalized and is in stable condition.
Drivers were advised to avoid the area during the investigation. The parkway was closed between McLean Avenue and the Cross County Parkway for four hours, causing major backups. Police reopened a single southbound lane just in time for the evening rush, but traffic remained heavy near Van Cortlandt Park South, Mosholu Parkway and other major area roadways.
Most of the lanes have since reopened, although police kept the right northbound lane closed overnight.