NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Andre Mosby, who is suspected to have fatally run over a construction worker after a road-rage altercation on the Upper East Side, reportedly told police that he worried for the safety of his family. He stated that he had only intended to disarm the other driver and not kill him, reported New York Post on Thursday, July 13. The 26-year-old Volkswagen Jetta driver also claimed that he only hit Roberto Velez Alvarez, 54, with his car after his foot "slipped" off the brake and onto the gas pedal.

Mosby was detained during the altercation that took place on Wednesday and allegedly chose to disregard his Miranda rights as he told authorities that the tragic altercation started when Velez Alvarez refused to allow him to merge with the traffic. The suspect claimed that the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado the 54-year-old was operating swerved into his Jetta's driver-side mirror and scraped the passenger side of the vehicle, according to law enforcement.

Who is Andre Mosby?

According to sources and prosecutors on Thursday, Mosby has already been arrested twice before for a 2016 subway fare evasion offense and a 2017 Bronx robbery raid. As per sources, Mosby and another man committed the theft by taking $400 from a man who was buying an iPhone after responding to an internet advertisement. The two thieves took the cash and fled rather than selling him the phone. "He didn’t say anything," the victim, 25, recalled to The Post. "He just took my money. He ran away." Mosby "was supposed to be locked up for a long time," the Bronx man claimed, adding, "I don't know why he's outside." As per the Bronx District Attorney's Office, Mosby was sentenced to a year of conditional discharge and required to pay $400 in restitution after being found guilty of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property in the case in December 2019.

Mosby feared for the safety of himself and his family

As per sources, Mosby stated Velez Alvarez had blocked him in with the gray pickup vehicle and had then started criticizing him on East 60th Street between Park and Third Avenues. The suspect stated he feared for the safety of himself and his family while driving with his girlfriend and three children. According to authorities, Mosby claimed that Velez Alvarez stepped out of the truck with "a large red knife" and slashed the man's tires as Mosby was purportedly trying to back out and flee.

According to the sources, Mosby said Velez Alvarez stepped ahead of the Jetta after bursting the front and rear driver-side tires. At that point, according to Mosby, his foot slipped on the pedals and the vehicle lurched ahead. The impact threw the older man across the sidewalk, smashing the storefront's glass windows. Mosby apparently admitted to the witness allegations that he got out of his Jetta and yelled at the fatally injured man, but he reportedly claimed to police he couldn't recall what he said.

After that, Mosby claimed, he returned to his car, checked on his family, and dialed 911. Charges of manslaughter and assault were filed against him after his arrest by the police. His arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was scheduled for Thursday. Mosby’s girlfriend, Quenteria Daniels, 27 said "They are taking away a man from his children for trying to save them." His girlfriend also gave a statement to Daily News that Velez Alvarez "raised his hand with the knife at us" and that they were "terrified."