From left are defendants Michael Velez, Nelson Morales, Kevin Santos, Lamont Pride and Aerial Tejada. (AP)
The elderly dad of slain hero cop Peter Figoski suddenly fell ill today at the trial of his son’s alleged killers, just a day after his wife had broken down over seeing their son’s blood-stained uniform.
Around 3:20 p.m., it became clear that the emotional strain of the proceeding was taking its toll on Frank Figoski, 79.
The father slumped over in his seat in the Brooklyn courtroom, and when Peter Figoski’s ex-wife, Paulette, who was sitting next to him, waved her hands in front of his face to get a response, his eyes remained glazed.
Police-union President Pat Lynch and Figoski’s brother leaped from their seats and rushed over along with a phalanx of other cops in the courtroom.
They laid the older man down across the bench, where he quickly perked up.
As a court officer with emergency-medical training was brought in, Frank Figoski began smiling and cracking a few jokes, embarrassed when told he would need to be taken away in an ambulance.
Judge Alan Marrus said when court resumed: “He seems to be doing fine right now. He was taken by paramedics as a precaution.”
Frank Figoski was taken to Long Island College Hospital, accompanied by his wife, son bob and several police officers.
The father was stricken during questioning of cooperating witness Ariel Tejada by a defense lawyer.
The grilling wasn’t particularly heated, but it was intense.
It came as alleged cop killer Lamont Pride and getaway driver Michael “Trouble” Velez stared down Tejada from their seats.
The pair of thugs didn’t take their eyes off their fellow robber – who flipped on them in exchange for a lighter sentence – when he waltzed into court to testify against them today.
Tejada, 23, sang like a canary as he revealed that Pride racked his gun before storming the East New York apartment and that Velez knew about the robbery and even asked for a cut.
“Trouble said, ‘Can I get PC,’ meaning profit, percentage,” Tejada testified to a packed courtroom in a high-pitched voice.
“Liar,” Velez mouthed to his lawyer. Velez claims he didn’t know Pride was armed or that he and the other thugs were planning to rob the drug dealer.
Career criminal Tejada – son of a MTA bus driver and a registered nurse – narrated how Pride wanted to rob drug dealers along with him and ringleader Nelson “Nels” Morales in order to earn some cash.
“I’m willing to do whatever to get some money,” Tejada testified Pride said.
“He wanted to jux people with us,” Tejada said, using a slang word for rob.
He also described being jumped into the Crips, and how he started robbing drug dealers with Morales because they wouldn’t report the crimes – including their biggest score of an ounce of cocaine and $34,000 in cash.
Tejada also described how he lied to investigators after Figoski was shot.
“I couldn’t tell the truth because I was trying to back people up. I was cool with them,” Tejada testified.
Tejada’s deal will give him just 18 years in exchange for testifying against his former friends.
Velez faces 25 years to life and Pride faces life without parole.
Pride sat motionless with his arms clasped in front of him for the entire morning testimony.
Three of Figoski’s four daughters sat stoically throughout the turncoat’s testimony.
The slain cop’s mother, who broke down yesterday when prosecutors showed photos of her son’s blood-stained badge and uniform, sat just across the gallery aisle from Pride’s brother and Velez’s family.
Dozens of cops, both uniformed and in plainclothes and suits, turned out to support their fallen brother.
jsaul@nypost.com