Police officers shot an unarmed suspect in Brooklyn who charged at them during a gun arrest on Monday night, law enforcement sources said.
Officers from the 67th Precinct rushed to 181 Lenox Road in East Flatbush at about 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 28 after a receiving numerous 911 calls of shots of a man brandishing a gun during a violent altercation.
Witnesses reported seeing, moments earlier, three men engaged in an aggressive argument, two of whom fled scene prior to police cruisers arriving on scene.
At first, according to Chief of Department Terence Monahan, the officers detained an individual who did not match preliminary descriptions made by eyewitnesses, but who was observed brandishing a firearm. As the suspect was being taken into custody in front of 125 Lenox Road, he yelled: “He coming, he gonna blast me!”
At that point, Monahan said, another man matching the description of the 911 calls, emerged before rushing toward the officers. Police instructed this individual to back up and show his hands, but he refused to comply, reportedly reaching into his waistband.
That prompted one officer to pull out their weapon and fire two shots into the man’s right leg, incapacitating the suspect. According to Monahan, this man was not armed.
Police immediately requested EMS to the scene, and officers wrapped a tourniquet around the suspect’s leg to stop the bleeding. Paramedics brought him to Kings County Medical Center, where he’s listed in stable condition.
An officer was also brought to Kings County Hospital for treatment of tinnitus following the shooting, cops said.
Remaining officers cordoned off the entire street, blocking off traffic from entering the area and preventing shocked bystanders from gathering.
Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell
