Dramatic video shows moment NYPD cops shoot suspected car thief twice at close range after he 'pointed gun at them' when they wrestled him to the ground
NYPD police say a man caught breaking into a car in the Bronx on Sunday evening was shot and seriously injured by an arresting officer.
The shooting took place at Summit Avenue and West 166th Street in Highbridge at around 7 p.m., according to police.
Dramatic video recorded by a bystander shows the moment that cops shot the suspect twice at close range.
Police said the unnamed man was armed with a loaded .9 mm semi-automatic pistol.
In a video of the shooting recorded by a bystander, two NYPD officers can be seen struggling with a suspected car thief in the Bronx. The unnamed man is lying on his back on the ground, while police try to put handcuffs on him. He shouts 'I know my rights'
The witness's video shows one of the officers reaching for his handgun (circled) and shooting the suspect twice. Officials said the suspect threatened to shoot the officer first
Police took this weapon from a man wounded by officers in the Bronx on Sunday evening. They said the unnamed man was armed with a loaded .9 mm semi-automatic pistol
The wounded suspect was reported in stable condition at Lincoln Hospital late on Sunday after surgery, NY Daily News reported.
The man – believed to be in his 50s – had just broken the right rear window of a BMW parked on Summit Avenue when officers from the 44th Precinct approached, authorities said.
He claimed he had locked his keys in the car and was trying to get inside, witness Patrice Turner, 29, told NY Daily News.
Officials said the suspect then produced keys for another vehicle.
'The officers began to put the individual under arrest. A struggle ensued,' New York City Police Chief Terence Monahan told reporters at the scene.
A witness told the New York Post she saw the man trying to flee the scene near the Dr Marjorie H Dunbar school.
'The guy was running toward the school I know they shot him by the school,' Cheryl Wyche told the paper.
Another witness who captured the incident on video with her phone, Mercedes Escoto, told NY Daily News the man was resisting arrest before the two officers wrestled him to the ground.
After he was shot, the man was handcuffed while police shouted at him. The suspect was then rushed to hospital and underwent surgery
The suspect – believed to be in his 50s – had been caught breaking into a BMW, officials said. In the video, the suspect can be heard shouting: 'It’s my vehicle!' before being shot
A witness, Mercedes Escoto, captured the moment the officer pulled his firearm and shot the suspect twice at close range
The shooting took place at Summit Avenue and West 166th Street in the Bronx's Highbridge neighborhood at around 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to police
In the video, the suspect can be heard shouting: 'I know my rights! I know my rights!' and 'it’s my vehicle!'
One of the cops punched him twice while he was lying on his back on the ground, trying to put handcuffs on him.
Both officers had functioning bodycams, which gave a better view of the danger faced by the officers, Monahan said.
'From the camera, you can hear the suspect say, "I have a gun, expletive die,"' he said.
The police chief said one of the cops shot the man in his torso and hip when the suspect aimed his gun at the officer's chest.
'I thought he was going to shoot me,' the officer can be heard saying to other cops on body camera video, according to Monahan.
The witness's video shows one of the officers reaching for his handgun and shooting the suspect twice.
After he was shot, the man was handcuffed while a visibly agitated officer screamed at him: 'F--k bro. What’s wrong with you, man?'
The suspect was rushed to hospital, and the two officers were also taken in for observation.
'This incident, once again, demonstrated the dangers of police work and how quickly incidents can escalate,' Monahan said.
Police were still investigating the matter on Sunday night.
