NEW YORK, NY – A vehicle break-in in Upper Manhattan ended in a shootout with police near Yankee Stadium and the Major Deegan Expressway, the New York City Police Department announced early this morning.
NYPD Patrol Division Chief John Chell said the event happened shortly before midnight when police responded to a call regarding a vehicle being broken into.
“As units responded to that break-in, they engaged a car that was driving recklessly.” Chief Chell said. “They ran the plates and the car was stolen.”
Police chased the vehicle through the 44th Precinct in Upper Manhattan and ended at 161st Street and Summit. There, police arrested one suspect, but a second fled across a nearby footbridge that crossed over the Major Deegan Expressway.
The suspect fired his gun at police and ran toward a nearby marshy area along the highway. Officers returned fire. Ten minutes later, once inside the marshy area, the suspect and police exchanged gunfire a second time.
The man was shot by police. Officers immediately began performing medical services and transported the suspect to a nearby hospital.
Two guns were recovered. The suspect’s condition is unknown. Chell said officers acted admirably during the incident. The incident happened two blocks west of Yankee Stadium.
Jeffrey Maddrey, Chief of Department for the New York City Police Department, said today that incidents like the one that unfolded today continue to put New York City police officers in peril.
“Although gun violence is down in the city, events like this still occur,” Chief Maddrey said. “We’re asking our communities to partner with us to continue reducing gun violence in the city.”