A suspect waving around a gun and pointing it at drivers in the middle of the road was taken down with a police cruiser. Pei-Sze Cheng reports.
A Long Island officer behind the wheel of a police cruiser ran down a person Tuesday afternoon, and officials say it was not an accident.
Traffic came to a complete stop on the busy North Bellmore intersection after the individual was caught on video pointing a gun at everyone in her path.
Moments before the cop struck them down, police say the 33-year-old crossing the intersection of Jerusalem Avenue and Bellmore Avenue fired a gun once in the air.
"It's a loaded gun that she's waving around in the traffic, pointing at people that have got their children and their families in their cars," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Tuesday.
The person then points the gun at her head, as seen in the video shared widely across social media. It's then that a Nassau County officer hits her with his squad car.
Once knocked down, officers restrained the individual and removed the semiautomatic handgun. Police said they were taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for her injuries.
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The officer who struck the person was taken to another hospital to be treated for trauma. Commissioner Ruder called the unidentified officer a hero.
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"I never am going to Morning morning quarterback my cops. They did an outstanding job. They faced down deadly physical force against the civilians and themselves and they used their vehicle to stop their threat," he said.
The individual faces multiple charges, including reckless endangerment, three counts of third-degree menacing, weapon possession and more, with an arraignment Wednesday afternoon.
The NYPD said the suspect was arrested and charged in connection to two Bed-Stuy burglary incidents in June.
