NYC Police Address Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Paparazzi Incident

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" in New York City Tuesday night, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex blaming the incident on "highly aggressive" paparazzi. In its own statement on the incident, the New York City Police Department confirmed that photographers made their trip "challenging," but there were no reports of crashes, injuries, or arrests. The couple and Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, were attending the Ms. Foundation for Women's awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.

"On [Tuesday] evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," the NYPD said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday. "There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard." Before that statement, the NYPD said the incident was "under investigation."

Earlier Wednesday, Markle and Harry's office released a statement, describing the incident as a "near catastrophic car chase" caused by "a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi." They said the "relentless pursuit" lasted over two hours and caused "multiple near-collisions" with other drivers, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers.

"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety," the statement continued. "Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed he received a briefing that two officers "could've been injured" during the incident, adding that drivers should not be speeding in Manhattan. "I think all of us, I don't think there's many of us, who don't recall how his mom died," Adams said, referring to Harry's mother, Princess Diana. "And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well."

Adams agreed that photographers were "reckless and irresponsible" for following the Sussexes, but he found it "hard to believe" a two-hour speed change could happen in Midtown. "But we will find out the exact duration of it. But if it's 10 minutes, a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York City," the mayor said. "We have a lot of traffic, a lot of movement, a lot of people are using our streets. Any type of high-speed chase that involves something of that nature is inappropriate."

One of the cab drivers who picked up the couple, Sukhcharn "Sunny" Singh, told the Washington Post Wednesday they were trailed by a black Honda Accord and a Honda CR-V. Singh picked up Harry, Meghan, and Ragland outside an NYPD precinct. Their security guard was concerned that Harry and Meghan were "too exposed," so Singh took them back to the precinct after about 10 minutes.

"I don't think I would call it a chase," Singh told the Post of his leg of the couple's journey. "I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn't like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it's New York – it's safe."