Off-Duty Cop Saves the Day at Brooklyn Armed Robbery

Billy Parker

Published May 10, 2009

Modified May 10, 2009

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Billy Parker

Published May 10, 2009

Modified May 10, 2009

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An attempted robbery at an East Flatbush auto shop yesterday turned into a wild shootout when two cops intervened. Two robbers pulled out guns and ordered everyone on the floor at Mel's Auto Specialist on Glenwood Road. Little did they know that one of the customers getting his 1998 Lexus checked out was an off-duty NYPD officer. Once their attention was elsewhere, the cop fired off a round, killing one of the robbers as the other fled into an SUV. The Post describes it "like a scene out of a Dirty Harry movie," as the officer chased the second suspect into the street, while bullets came flying at him. When he returned to the original scene, a second off-duty cop had now arrived and was telling him to put down his weapon. "I'm a cop! I'm a cop," yelled the original officer, according to the News. One customer in the shop during the robbery told WCBS 2, "I think he's very brave, and I'm very proud of him because we can't have these criminals walking around trying to rob people. Tomorrow is Mother's Day—it could have been anyone."

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armed robbery

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Billy Parker

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