Warning: Viewers may find the video disturbing.
Editor’s Note: Police initially identified the suspect as a woman. They later said the suspect is a man. The story has been updated.
NORTH BELLMORE, N.Y. (PIX11) — A Nassau County police officer drove a vehicle into a suspect who was waving a gun in an intersection in North Bellmore Tuesday, video of the incident showed.
Authorities received 911 calls Tuesday afternoon about a person wielding a gun at the intersection of Bellmore and Jerusalem avenues. The 33-year-old allegedly fired a single shot in the air before walking into the intersection and pointing the gun at others, police said.
“It’s a loaded handgun that she’s waving around in the traffic, pointing at people that have got their children and their families in their cars,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
Video of the incident showed an officer subduing the suspect by striking them with a police cruiser. Officers then rushed in to make the arrest.
The Nassau County police commissioner said the officer did an outstanding job making a split-second decision to use the vehicle.
“They faced down deadly physical force against civilians and themselves, and they used their vehicle to stop that threat,” Ryder said. “The other option on the table is to take out the gun and shoot her. They didn’t do that. They chose an alternative option that they thought quickly to react and probably saved people’s lives, including their own, from any further injuries.”
The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to police. The officer who drove the patrol vehicle was taken to a separate hospital to be treated for trauma.
