NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An NYPD officer shot and injured a man who approached him while brandishing a metal pipe inside a Staten Island apartment building, newly-released body camera footage shows.
A caller dialed 911 around 9:20 p.m. on July 23 and reported that a man was banging on doors and screaming at an apartment building on Malden Place, near Falcon Avenue, in Oakwood, the NYPD said Friday.
"There's a guy, I don't know if he's drugged out or what, he's flipping out, he's screaming, he's banging doors, he's just going crazy," the caller can be heard saying on a recording released by the department.
Body camera footage from the scene.NYPD
NYPD Officer Thomas Leonardo, Officer Robert Ruhl and several other officers who responded to the scene after the call discovered Roberto Ramos, 45, crying on the second floor of the building, police said.
Ramos initially agreed to accept treatment after speaking with the officers, and got into an ambulance parked outside, but fled the vehicle after several minutes and went back into the building, the NYPD said.
As Leonardo was following Ramos up the stairs to the second floor, Ramos returned to the top of the stairway holding a 39-inch metal pipe, police said.
As he descended the stairs holding the pipe, Leonardo fired five shots, hitting Ramos in the stomach, back and arm, the NYPD said.
Ramos was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
Leonardo and Ruhl were treated for tinnitus at the same hospital, police said.
After he was treated, Ramos was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree burglary, one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree criminal trespass, one count of second-degree attempted assault and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief, the NYPD said.
His attorney information wasn't immediately available Friday.
