He says it was all a wild Goose chase.
The alleged drunken driver who mowed down four pedestrians outside a Brooklyn club’s wild New Year’s Eve party claims he was fleeing a violent mob, angered that he accused them of stealing his bottles of pricey vodka, his attorney said today.
Staten Island carpenter Charles Amado, 34, was slapped with attempted murder charges at his Brooklyn criminal court arraignment for plowing through four fellow club-goers after the bar brawl spilled out onto a Bay Ridge sidewalk, prosecutors said.
Amado and his girlfriend, Andrea Jobity, 39, were partying at Lounge 93 when their bottle of expensive Grey Goose vodka was stolen right off their table. A bartender replaced the stolen booze, and then Amado caught somebody stealing that bottle, too, defense attorney Lance Lazzaro said.
The hijacked hooch sparked a fight and club security booted Amado, his girlfriend, and about 15 others outside, where the fight continued on 93rd Street at Third Avenue.
Jobity was punched in the face, the lawyer said.
“These people were coming after them with bats, bottles, you name it. So he took off in his car,” said Lazzaro. “Mr. Amado says that he would have been in a coma or dead if he had stuck around.”
Amado drove up onto the sidewalk and hit three pedestrians, then reversed and hit another, prosecutors said.
“Charles Amado and Andrea Jobity got into their car and drove headfirst into a crowd,” said ADA Theresa Shanahan. “Charles Amado then passed out and Andrea Jobity took the wheel. She reversed and hit more parked cars, then she passed out as well.”
Jobity was charged with driving while intoxicated and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Both she and Amado posted bail and were released, Lazzaro said.
But one of the pedestrians struck by Amado’s car said she didn’t buy his explanation for the crazed driving.
“That’s bulls—. I understand you probably had a lot to drink, but why would you drive into people?” said Vanessa Encalada, 27. “Everybody was trying to run away and he just accelerated forward. He hit me and then he reversed back. I was bleeding.”
Encalada said a friend hit by Amado still hasn’t regained consciousness.