A Brooklyn man was charged after he was in a four-vehicle crash that damaged a police vehicle on the Southern State Parkway in Nassau County, before allegedly lying about his identity and refusing a breath test and field sobriety tests, according to the police.

State troopers arrested Messiah Robinson, 23, in the early hours of Friday and charged him with driving while intoxicated, second-degree reckless endangerment, criminal impersonation and other traffic violations, spokeswoman Brittany Burton said.

At the time of the crash, troopers were responding to an earlier one-car crash involving a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the Southern State Parkway, just east of the Belt Parkway in North Valley Stream. Because the Jeep could not be removed from the right lane, officers had parked their patrol car behind it with emergency lights flashing and used flares to increase visibility, according to the police.

While officers were outside, Robinson's 2024 black BMW 530 allegedly struck an uninvolved 2023 Toyota Camry, causing it to collide with the police vehicle, before careening into the Jeep, according to the police. All four vehicles were significantly damaged, according to photographs provided, though there were only minor injuries, Burton said. 

Robinson then allegedly attempted to walk away from the scene. But troopers stopped him and, allegedly noticing signs of intoxication, took him into custody, according to Burton. Robinson allegedly provided a false name before police determined his true identity and found he had an active NYPD bench warrant, she said.

In New York, drivers can be charged with driving while intoxicated based on an officer's observations, even if they refuse a blood-alcohol breath test. In addition, under the state's "implied consent" law, anyone who refuses a test after being arrested can have their license suspended, regardless of whether or not they are found guilty on the DWI charge, according to the DMV.

Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.