The suspected driver of a U-Haul truck that injured eight people in New York City on Monday has previously served prison time in Las Vegas for stabbing his brother, reports say.
Multiple media outlets have named the suspect as Weng Sor, 62, reportedly a US citizen born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and with no previous criminal record in New York.
According to Las Vegas broadcaster KLAS-TV, however, Mr Sor was actually arrested in Las Vegas in October 2015 for stabbing his brother and again in 2020 for stabbing his roommate in the arm.
At least eight people were injured in Monday’s incident, which happened at around 11am in Brooklyn, New York, and was described by one local official as a deliberate “rampage”.
Police said that the U-Haul truck had been rented by Mr Sor in late January this year using a Nevada driver’s licence. He is now in custody and had not been charged with any offence as of Monday evening.
Records seen by KLAS showed that Mr Sor was imprisoned for one to three years for the 2015 stabbing, ultimately serving 16 months. One record described him as having an "unknown type [of] mental health illness for which he takes medication".
Separately, in November 2020, Mr Sor allegedly stabbed his roommate in the arm. Police said he had been "walking up and down the driveway talking to himself about Communism" before the attack.
The judge in that case found him not fit to stand trial, and he was ordered to serve one year in detention.
Las Vegas police also ticketed a man called Weng Sor in January this year for driving 30-40 mph over the speed limit.
The Nevada Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
