NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A police pursuit in Brooklyn ended in gunfire Thursday afternoon, leaving a murder suspect dead and a woman injured, officials said.
The incident began around 3 p.m. when police responded to reports of shots fired near Portland Avenue in Fort Greene. A witness told officers about a Honda with an out-of-state license plate fleeing the scene.
Officers located the car near Fulton Street and Washington Avenue, heading eastbound, and initiated a chase. Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said the vehicle was pursued into Crown Heights.
“They start speeding up. They start cutting through blocks, through beds. They’re running red lights. Our officers [were] closely pursuing,” Maddrey said during a press conference on Thursday.
The pursuit ended in Utica Avenue when the car became stuck in traffic.
Officers, with guns drawn, ordered the occupants to show their hands. The man in the front passenger seat, 21, attempted to exit the vehicle but couldn’t fully open the door due to double-parked cars.
The suspect had a gun in his hand and pointed it at officers. “At this point, our officers started firing. They (had) given commands to drop the weapon to show their hands,” Maddrey said.
Police fired more than a dozen shots, striking the man, who was later pronounced dead.
The woman in the driver’s seat, 23, exited the car and tried to flee on foot but was arrested after a brief chase. She sustained two gunshot wounds to her right thigh and is in stable condition, police said.
A baby in the back seat was safely removed from the car and taken to the hospital for evaluation.
The NYPD showed body camera footage to reporters, depicting the suspect pointing his weapon directly at officers. A semi-automatic handgun with a capacity for 30 rounds was recovered at the scene. It is unclear if the suspect fired any shots during the encounter.
According to officials, the male suspect was wanted for a homicide that occurred on March 28 on Belmont and Euclid avenues in East New York. In that case, police said the suspect walked up to a 21-year-old man and shot him multiple times in the torso.
An investigation is ongoing.