An armed thug was fatally shot in a scuffle with an NYPD sergeant and two other cops in Brooklyn—after fleeing from police who tried to bust him in an anti-prostitution operation, authorities said.
Four men in a 1999 green Mazda, including front-seat passenger Tyjuan Hill, 22, tried to solicit an undercover officer about 10 p.m. in Red Hook on Huntington and Henry Street, police said.
Residents had complained to police about prostitution activity in the area, as well as robberies, according to Paul Browne, a spokesman for the NYPD.
The men in the car allegedly agreed to pay for sex, and an arrest team came to the scene from a nearby unmarked observation car after the plainclothes officer made a signal to them, authorities said.
Uniformed cops, part of “Operation Losing Proposition,” arrived on the scene in two police cars, and the 18-year-old driver initially tried to back up the car to escape.
“He tried to get away, throwing it in reverse, but was blocked by the second police car,” said Browne.
The cops told all four men to get out of the car—and all came out, placing their hands on the roof of the car.
Hill then allegedly darted off, running about two blocks east, authorities said. A 911 caller said she spotted him fleeing, with a gun near his waistband.
Two cops pursued him in a patrol car, and tried to stop him on Hamilton Street, between West 9th Street and Huntington Street, authorities said.
Hill ran around the car, and the officers pursued on foot, tackling him on the sidewalk.
The suspect had a Kel tec 9mm handgun in his left hand, and tried to put his hands underneath him, police said.
A sergeant, 32, tried to pull up his left hand, while another officer grabbed his right hand, police added. Another officer pepper-sprayed the suspect, trying to subdue him, but he kicked the cops and pointed his gun at the sergeant, who struggled with him.
The sergeant shot him in the back of the head with his 9mm service weapon during the scuffle. The suspect was pronounced dead at 10:09 p.m., police said.
“They were trying to resuscitate him, but they couldn’t bring him back,” said a woman, 36, who lives in the Red Hook housing development, but did not want to give her name. “They put handcuffs on him after he was gone. That was so sad.”
Hill lived in the Red Hook housing development on Clinton Street. He was paroled in February for an attempted robbery conviction, and had also been busted once for assault.
The shooting cop has eight years on the job, and has never been in a shooting incident before, authorities said. He was taken to an area hospital, and treated for trauma, a law-enforcement sources said.
The sergeant has been placed on administrative duties while the shooting is reviewed. Cops are looking to interview 911 callers also as part of the investigation.
Police recovered Hill’s weapon, which was stolen from West Virginia in June 2009. It had seven live rounds in the magazine, cops said.
The Mazda driver was taken into police custody, as well as the two rear passengers, 25 and 21 years old. It was not immediately clear if they would face charges, cops said.
Police said Operation Losing Proposition has made 1000 arrests this year, and seized 220 cars.
“This is a focus on the demand-side of prostitution, arresting johns who are soliciting prostitutes,” said Browne. “It emphasizes the johns, rather than the women engaged in prostitution.”
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Antonio Antenucci