3 NYPD Officers Injured In Bronx Home Invasion Call; 1 Suspect Still Wanted
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Three police officers were injured Friday while responding to a call of a home invasion in the Bronx, and the search continued in the late afternoon for one of the suspects.
As CBS2's Emily Smith reported, dozens of officers took over 179th Street and University Avenue, in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx, following what appeared to be a home invasion late Friday morning.
Police arrived on the scene armed with rifles after receiving a call to 911 from someone inside the apartment. They also brought in the NYPD K9 unit.
Some witnesses said they worried as the chaotic scene unfolded.
"It was rage. It was rage. It was going crazy," said witness Melissa Betancourt. "I have my son out there. Anything could have happened. There could have been a shootout -- whatever. Everyone was going crazy.
It all started around noon, according to police. They said two men entered the building to rob an apartment – described earlier as a narcotics location – for an undisclosed reason.
But when someone inside the apartment called 911, officers responded -- resulting in a scuffle in the hallway and on the street between police and the perpetrators.
"Three persons ran from the cop, and the cop got hurt," said witness Jose Madera. "When (the officer) came out, he came out bleeding."
There was a struggle in the hallway and one officer possibly suffered a broken leg, sources said.
The other two officers suffered minor injuries -- cuts and bruises -- while taking the men into custody, sources said.
Police sources said the man with the gun on him was arrested, and charges were pending. The second suspect escaped and had not been found late Friday afternoon.
A third person was arrested at the scene, but was not involved in the home invasion, police sources said. He was the resident of the apartment, and was arrested for drug possession, police sources said.
"It was the cops… running back and forth -- I will tell you that much," Betancourt said.
CBS2 was told that no shots were fired. Police recovered a gun and some drugs in the apartment.