A Brooklyn man believed to be a serial robbery suspect was shot and killed today after pulling a gun on three plainclothes cops, police said.
The shooting occurred at the corner of 33rd Street and 5th Avenue in Sunset Park near Greenwood Cemetery at about 2:15 p.m., police said.
Cops said the man, identified as Hispanic and in his 30s, was walking down the street when the officers noticed he fit the description of a man wanted in five Brooklyn robberies.
They called him over to their unmarked car, and the suspect began searching through a bag before pulling a .357, six-shot revolver on the male officer in the driver’s seat.
The cop grabbed the gun and a struggle ensued. While they battled for the weapon, a female officer got out of the passenger seat and walked around to the suspect. At some point she fired off one round into his shoulder.
The third male officer, who was in the back seat of the police vehicle, got out of the car after the shooting and he helped cuff the suspect.
The suspect, who never got a shot off, was taken to Lutheran Hospital dead on arrival.
The anti-crime cops from the 63rd Precinct were on patrol in the 72nd Precinct as part of a stepped up enforcement after a string of robberies in the area, according to police.
The suspect has more than 12 prior arrests. A cop at the crime scene said he had bullets in his pocket and two wallets filled with cash.
“I saw them handcuff a guy on the floor and they flipped him over and he was obviously dead because he was head back, eyes open with blood all over his face,” said a witness.
Additional reporting by Liz Sadler and Larry Celona