Updated: 70th Precinct Sergeant Fires Shot At Suspect Who Pulled A Knife On Him; Cops Looking For Two Suspects: NYPD

Updated 2pm: The NYPD has issued a statement to the press on the 70th Precinct sergeant firing at a suspect who pulled a knife on him after the cop confronted him for being involved in the stripping of a car on E. 19th Street, near Glenwood Road.

According to the NYPD, a plainclothes sergeant assigned to the 70th Precinct’s Anti-Crime Unit was on patrol in an unmarked car when he saw two men removing the tires of a 2015 Honda Fit on E. 19th Street, near Glenwood Road, at 4:02am. When the sergeant went to investigate, the two men fled in two vehicles waiting for them, police said.

Then, sergeant alerted two other plainclothes officers from the 70th Precinct, who were also on patrol in an unmarked car. While he was still at the scene, another car with two men inside arrived to “retrieve items and parts left behind by the original group,” police said.

The sergeant then identified himself, and the suspects tried to flee the location but proceeded to strike a parked, unoccupied vehicle not far from the scene on E. 19th Street. When the sergeant pulled up next to the suspects’ vehicle, the car’s driver exited the car, “disregarding multiple orders given by the sergeant to remain inside the auto,” the NYPD said.

Once the suspect was outside the car, he “menaced the sergeant with a knife,” according to police.

“The sergeant gave verbal commands for the suspect to drop the knife, all of which were disregarded,” the NYPD said. “The sergeant discharged one round from his service weapon, striking the suspect about the body. The suspect then fled the location and remains unapprehended.”

The passenger of that car, a 26-year-old man, was taken into custody, and charges are pending.

The sergeant was removed to King County Hospital, where he was treated for tinnitus. The investigation remains ongoing.

Original post: One individual is in custody after an NYPD sergeant fired a shot at a man who pulled a knife on him when he confronted the man and two other suspects while they were stripping a car on E. 19th Street, between Glenwood Road and Foster Avenue, just after 4am this morning, the NYPD told us.

Police told us they are still looking for two male suspects but did not have descriptions of the individuals.

It has not been confirmed if the suspect was hit, but the Daily News reported that police found a blood trail and recovered the knife at the scene.

“The man was stripping cars and came after the sergeant with a knife,” 70th Precinct Detective Dominick Scotto told us. “If you’re stripping cars and the police show up, you’ve gotta be crazy to pull a knife.”

The Daily News reported that the sergeant was a plainclothes officer assigned to the Anti-Crime Unit. According to the Daily News, he saw the three men “stripping parts off a red Honda Fit that was propped up on cinderblocks.”

The incident has sparked a massive manhunt in our neighborhood, with an NYPD helicopter hovering over the area for much of the morning and police closing roads around the scene, including Foster between Ocean and E. 17th, neighbor Avi Glickstein let us know.

ABC7 Eyewitness News reported police were also using a K-9 to track blood, and the Daily News wrote that:

Scores of detectives from units ranging from the Warrant Squad and the Technical Assistance and Response Unit to the Hostage Negotiation Team descended on the typically quiet residential neighborhood to aid in the search.

If you live near here and heard or saw anything, you can email us at editor@ditmasparkcorner.com, and we’ll update this as soon as we learn any new information.