An off-duty hero detective shot dead a brazen robber in a wild exchange of gunfire that spilled out into the street during a botched stickup at a Brooklyn auto repair shop, police sources said.
The NYPD cop was getting his car repaired at Mel’s Auto Shop in East Flatbush when two suspicious men gamboled in, announced a holdup and ordered customers and workers to hit the ground.
The off-duty cop waited until the two thugs were distracted, then whipped out his revolver and squeezed off one round, instantly killing the gunman.
The second robber picked up the dead man’s gun and began blasting away at the cop, said police sources.
The wild gun battle spilled out into the street onto Glenwood Road near 42nd Street as the gunman tried to flee. Like a scene out of a Dirty Harry movie, the detective kept shooting as he chased after the gunman, who dived into a white SUV. It was not clear if there was a getaway driver.
Miraculously, the courageous NYPD cop dodged the barrage of bullets. He was taken to Kings County Hospital and treated for trauma.