A drunk driver has been given a suspended sentence after road rage saw him drive into a fence and a bus before being stopped by have-a-go heroes.
Dennis Moldoveanu, 26, was described as ‘off his nut’ when he sped straight through a fence and into a bus after ramming a van at a petrol station in Hackney, east London, on October 8 last year
Onlookers including the van driver ran to the car to get the keys and driver out of the vehicle, with one man seen using a hammer to smash its windows.
Moldoveanu’s driving was filmed by Jamie Walker, 24, who was in London for work and said he saw the black Seat enter the petrol station around 7am.
As the car tried to leave, a Hackney Council van blocked its path and the car rammed into it.
‘It was pretty intense to be honest,’ Jamie said.
‘It was obvious to me that the driver was off his nut.
‘After we’d seen how he was driving and the damage he was causing, we had to step in.’
The video appears shows a black Seat ramming into the back of a Hackney Council van
After a passenger from the Seat got out to confront the van driver, the car drove through a fence at the side of the petrol station
The construction worker from Newcastle said the van driver was trying to stop the car from driving away after ramming his vehicle.
‘The car was swerving like crazy,’ Jamie continued.
‘It had already come in hot and hit some news stands at the front of the petrol station.
‘Then when it tried to leave, the van in front was just about to pull out but the black car driver had no patience. Just went straight into him.
‘The van then started reversing into the car to stop it from fleeing the situation.’
In the video a passenger gets out of the Seat, which appears to be an Arona model, and goes to the van’s window to confront the driver.
The black car can be seen speeding off, smashing through a fence before trying to pull out on to the road, only to crash into a single-decker bus.
There was no route number displayed on the bus and no passengers are visible on the video.
With the Seat stuck, bystanders ran to the car.
As the Seat tried to pull out on to the road, it crashed into a bus and became stuck
Onlookers rushed to stop the driver, with one using a hammer to smash the car’s rear window
Jamie said: ‘At this point, anyone watching had figured out this driver was dangerous.
‘So the van driver and other witnesses approached the car to try and remove the driver or the keys.
‘People ended up using what they could to smash the windows.
‘We soon realised the car had no key as it was brand new and had a button start.
‘Police arrived a couple minutes later and took over.’
According to a number plate search, the petrol car was a 2025 model.
Moldoveanu pleaded guilty to drink driving, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and without a license.
He was handed an 11-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Wood Green Crown Court on Wednesday and was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
If Molodveanu fails to complete these requirements within the 18 months, he will serve his prison sentence.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were called at 7.10am on Wednesday 8 October last year after reports of a crash and a fight on Upper Clapton Road, Hackney.
They added: ‘Met officers attended the scene and arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving while under the influence of alcohol.’
