New York, Aug 2 (IANS): Multiple people were injured after a vehicle plowed into a crowd near the Grand Central Station in Manhattan, media reported.

The incident was reported to have taken place at Lexington Avenue and East 42nd Street around 5:30 p.m.

A man driving a stolen vehicle fled from police in Manhattan on Tuesday, plowing into three cars and several pedestrians during a wild chase that ended when New Yorkers tackled the suspect to the ground, cops and sources said as quoted by The New York Post.

Nearly 12 people incurred non-life-threatening injuries. The victims were taken to Bellevue hospital for treatment.

With police car lights flashing, the man initially “started to pull over” but then pumped the gas, Patrol Borough Manhattan South Deputy Chief James Kehoe said at a press conference.

Officers continued to pursue the stolen vehicle "at a lower rate of speed because of the heavy traffic" before the SUV turned onto Lexington Avenue and struck another motorist between 42nd and 43rd streets, Kehoe added.

Police did not identify the driver, but said he is a 20-year-old man that does not have a New York license, the New York Post reported.

He has several arrests on his rap sheet, sources said, including two gun charges and a history of narcotics, sources said.

The SUV he was driving was reported stolen Monday in the Bronx, but may have been taken over the weekend.