A letter from the New York Police Department confirming that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were victims of a “reckless” paparazzi chase in New York City last May found “sufficient evidence” to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment, according to a U.K. court filing.
“The investigation had found reckless disregard of vehicle and traffic laws and persistently dangerous and unacceptable behavior on the part of paparazzi during the night in question,” said the U.K. court filing, referring to an NYPD review of the incident.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, were chased by paparazzi after leaving a charity event in midtown Manhattan at around 10 p.m. The couple said they were pursued relentlessly by paparazzi in their car for over two hours, resulting in “multiple near collisions” with pedestrians, NYPD officers, and other drivers on the road.
The NYPD’s letter, sent last December, confirms that paparazzi vehicles recklessly disregarded vehicle and traffic laws, forcing Markle and Prince Harry’s security team and the NYPD lead car to take evasive actions to avoid being struck by pursuing vehicles, according to the U.K. court filing.
The couple could not be reached for comment on the NYPD’s findings.
The intensity of the car chase, which the couple called “near catastrophic,” was disputed by one of the paparazzi agencies involved. Backgrid USA Inc. told NBC in a statement last May that there were “no near collisions or near crashes” during the chase.
Backgrid USA could not be reached for comment on the NYPD letter confirming that a reckless paparazzi chase occurred.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also cast doubt on the couple’s claims. At a press conference last May, he said he would “find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” but acknowledged that even a 10-minute chase could be reckless.
No formal charges were brought against the parties involved in the paparazzi chase at the time of the incident, but the NYPD confirmed to NBC News that it sent the letter and said it has increased security protocols for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment on whether charges are likely to be filed.
Despite the NYPD providing evidence of the reckless car chase, Prince Harry’s bid for publicly funded police protection was struck down in court on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex told The Associated Press that Prince Harry plans to appeal the ruling.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
