A Coney Island man was indicted on manslaughter charges Wednesday for allegedly causing a brutal Bensonhurst crash that killed two and left five others injured.
Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 20-count indictment for the March 20 crash in which 51-year-old Stancho Stanchev and 65-year-old Yuet ‘Betty’ Leung were killed.
“This defendant’s alleged extreme recklessness caused the senseless deaths of two innocent people and inflicted serious injuries on others. New Yorkers deserve safe streets, and I am committed to holding accountable any driver who endangers the public with this kind of senseless and illegal conduct,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement announcing the indictment.
Konoplyov was arrested at the scene of the crash, which occurred just before 1 p.m. at the intersection of 64 Street and 18 Avenue on March 20.
Prosecutors allege that Konoplyov was driving a 2015 white Toyota Camry southbound on 18th Avenue — speeding and driving through multiple red lights —when he struck Sanchev’s 2016 Honda HR-V on 64th Street.
Stanchev’s vehicle spun out of control, jumped the curb, and struck pedestrian Yuet Leung as she walked home. She was pronounced dead at the scene. His car then hit a 2021 silver Chevy Equinox which was being driven southbound on 18th Avenue by a 71-year-old man, who was not injured.
A realtor for Ben Bay Realty, Stanchev was running errands that afternoon accompanied by his wife in the passenger who suffered serious brain injuries. Emergency services transported the couple to Maimonides Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Konoplyov, who remained on the scene, had two passengers inside of his vehicle at the time of the crash. Both were brought to local hospitals with injuries — one with severe injuries to his face and left hand.
The suspect was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second- and third-degree assault, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree reckless endangerment, and related charges Wednesday.
He is being held on bail of $1 million bond or $250,000 cash, and is due to return to court on June 21.
