Police: Suspected Burglar Shot, Wounded By Police In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A burglary suspect was shot and wounded by police in Queens Monday after he allegedly struggled for the officer's gun.
Police were called Monday afternoon to 66th Street and Hull Avenue in Maspeth, Queens, after a woman monitoring her apartment through a nanny cam saw a burglar, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce.
The woman met police outside the building and let them into the apartment, Boyce said. The officers searched the residence, and police sources said one of the officers confronted the suspect in the bathroom of the apartment.
There was a struggle for the gun, and the officer fired a shot, sources said.
The suspect was struck in the groin area, Boyce said. He fled the building and ran off, but the officers caught up to him and apprehended him, Boyce said.
The suspect -- identified as Felix Perez, 37, of Brooklyn -- has at least six prior burglary arrests, sources said. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center and his condition was reported to be stable late Monday night.
A neighbor, Michael Morris, captured the moments before, during, and after the police shooting on video from his window. Following the gunshot, screams are heard as officers yell and run down the street.
"I saw the cops go in, and by this time, they're like their hands are ready by their guns to see if they need to disable the man," Morris said.
A woman is seen on Morris' video coming out of the building with a small dog in her hands. Boyce said that woman was the homeowner who called police, and who was afraid for her dog after the burglary.
The woman's dog came out when she opened the door, and she scooped him up, Boyce said.
Morris' video also shows a man taking off running down the street. Police said that man was the suspect.
Neighbors said they heard a gunshot, but were not aware of what was going on at the time.
"I was, you know, observing the surroundings. I heard a gunshot, 'Boom!' Like a big boom. So I ducked down, and I was like, 'What the hell is going on?'" said Roy Johnston of Maspeth. "So I started looking around, so I saw a guy come out of my neighbor's home and run right past my car, and once the officers turned their weapons towards him, following him, I ducked all the way under my seat."
Residents were unnerved across the board. One woman, who did not want her name used, returned back to her Maspeth home Monday night -- still shaken by this afternoon's shooting.
"Yes, I am OK," she said reluctantly.
The situation was particularly unsettling given that police said the burglary on Monday might have been part of a break-in pattern in the area.
"To see police in this area is very unfamiliar," Johnston said.
"It was frightening. It was very scary," said Nancy Jurgens of Maspeth. "I was very happy to hear that the police were able to catch the person that did this."
Meanwhile, officers also found a woman about three-quarters a block from where the perpetrator fled. She was lying in the driveway with a cut to her head, Boyce said.
The woman was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center and following a brief surgical procedure, it turned out she had an object in her scalp that Boyce described as a short piece of wire or cable about a quarter inch in length.
While police initially were not certain, it turned out the woman's injuries were not related to the burglary suspect or the police shooting. Police said it appeared that she fell and injured herself coincidentally.
Sources said the 38-year-old woman told police she had a history of suffering from seizures.
