New York terror suspect was cited in 2015 in Platte County for having bad brakes

Sayfullo Saipov, accused of killing eight people when he drove a truck into a New York bike path, was ticketed in Platte County in December 2015 for having defective brakes, according to Platte County authorities.

Saipov was northbound on Interstate 29 in a 2006 Freightliner tractor-trailer when he pulled into a Missouri State Highway Patrol weigh station just north of Platte City.

On Tuesday, federal authorities and police say the 29-year-old Saipov, an Uzbeki immigrant who entered the United States legally in 2010, allegedly struck pedestrians and cyclists along a busy bike path near the World Trade Center memorial on Tuesday, killing at least eight and seriously injuring 11.

The incident is being considered as an act of terror.

Saipov was issued a $129.50 ticket in the 2015 incident, authorities said, because the right side brake lining on the tractor contained multiple cracks that were more than an inch-and-a-half long.

Saipov was directed to pay the fine by mail or notify state authorities if he planned to plead not guilty for the citation, said Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd in a written statement.

A warrant was issued for Saipov when he failed to pay the fine or alert state authorities 30 days after receiving the ticket. A Platte County Circuit Court judge set his bond at $200, Zahnd said.

Saipov was arrested in St. Charles County near St. Louis on Oct. 20, 2016, on the Platte County warrant. He posted bond the same day and was ordered to appear in court on Nov. 16, 2016.

A conviction and judgment was entered when Saipov failed to appear in Platte County court. A judge ordered that Saipov’s $200 cash bond be applied to the $129 fine, along with $70.50 in court costs, Zahnd said.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims of the terrorist attack in New York and their families,” he said.

Records also show that Saipov has two active businesses in the state of Ohio.

One, called Sayf Motors, was incorporated in 2011, according to Ohio corporation documents. Saipov is listed as the corporation president with a Cincinnati address.

Saipov also has a company called Bright Auto LLC that was incorporated in Ohio in 2013. His address in that filing was listed as Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The website QuickTransportSolutions.com describes Bright Auto LLC as an Ohio transport company with one truck and one driver. It provides a US DOT number for the company, but that number does not come up in the Department of Transportation’s database. The website shows that Bright Auto carried $1 million in insurance coverage starting in 2013 but that it was canceled in December 2014.

Documents also show that in October 2015, the state of Ohio filed a tax lien against Saipov for $604.

Glenn E. Rice: 816-234-4341, @GRicekcstar

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 1:05 PM with the headline "New York terror suspect was cited in 2015 in Platte County for having bad brakes."