Metro

Cops kill armed thug in shootout after responding to Brooklyn robbery: NYPD

Brooklyn cops gunned down a thief who fired at them while responding to a robbery in progress, the NYPD said.

The officers were on patrol in East New York when a livery cab driver approached the cops at around 1:08 a.m. near Hinsdale Street and Dumont Avenue and alerted them to the incident.

The responding officers heard gunshots before pulling up and seeing two men struggling over a gun.

The 28-year-old victim called to police for help before the unidentified suspect and fired a single shot at the cops.

One of the officers returned the fire, striking the 50-year-old thief in the torso.

The suspect fled and attempted to hide under a vehicle on Dumont Avenue, where cops found him and recovered a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver.

The suspect was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The robbery victim suffered cuts and bruises but was not seriously injured.

The officer who shot the thief was treated at Jamaica Hospital for tinnitus.