By Daniel Massey
One man was shot dead and a police officer was critically injured when a wild chase following a robbery at a Woodhaven Chinese restaurant ended in chaos Monday night in Glendale, police said.
Police opened fire when one of the two men suspected of robbing the restaurant backed his black Lexus into an undercover police officer on 79th Lane near Myrtle Ave. in Glendale, pinning him against an unmarked squad car, said a woman who witnessed the scene.
The unidentified police officer was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a broken left leg and ankle, said Michael Hinck, a spokesman for the hospital. Hinck said the officer, who sustained open wounds and severe tissue damage, was in intensive care and remained in critical condition Tuesday night.
One suspect in cardiac arrest with gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where the 29-year-old man died in the operating room, Hinck said. There was at least one other arrest.
Police did not identify the two main suspects.
The chase ended and the shooting began when the suspects’ Lexus crashed into a police cruiser that was heading the wrong way on narrow, one-way 79th Lane. According to a witness and police, after colliding with the cruiser, the driver of the black Lexus backed his car into an officer who was on foot and had gotten out of an unmarked car to arrest the suspects.
Christine Mulliner, who witnessed the incident from her window overlooking the scene, said the officer’s pants were “soaked with blood” and he was wedged between the Lexus and his squad car.
“I heard screaming,” she said. “Police officers were screaming ‘get out of the car, get out of the car.’”
Mulliner said the suspects remained in the vehicle. “A few seconds later, I heard gunshots.”
She said the police began shooting at the car. Neighbors said they heard repeated shots and one man said shell casings could be seen “all over the sidewalk.”
It was unclear whether the suspects were armed at the time of the shooting. Mulliner said the Lexus had tinted windows, making it difficult to see inside.
On Tuesday afternoon, the street remained stained with blood and bullet damage could be seen in two places on a black car parked on the east side of 79th Lane.
Police said a second man was arrested at the scene of the shooting, but did not specify the charges lodged against him. A third suspect, a young woman no older than 20, was removed from the Lexus and handcuffed Monday night on 79th Lane, according to witnesses, but police did not release any information on her.
The drama began around 9:30 p.m. when two men, at least one of them armed, entered the May May Kitchen at 74-22 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven. They moved past a counter protected by a bullet- proof window and into the kitchen area through an open door, said a worker at the restaurant who identified himself as Chen.
“Two guys came in with a gun,” Chen said. “One said, ‘Don’t move.’ I didn’t move. One guy came for the cash register. He took about $100.”
Chen said the men were in and out in less than a minute. He immediately called the police, who he said arrived quickly.
Police said members of the 102nd Precinct Anti-crime Unit responded and saw a car fleeing the scene.
Hinck said police officers were injured during the chase and brought into Jamaica Hospital, but he could not confirm the number of officers treated or the extent of their injuries. Police did not say whether any officers were injured during the chase.
Neighbors said what seemed like more than 100 police officers, including some from the Bureau of Internal Affairs, arrived on 79th Lane shortly after the shooting. Helicopters could be heard hovering overhead.
“They went house to house doing interviews,” said one man, who lives on the block.
“It was nerve-racking to say the least,” Mulliner said. “I was watching not believing what was happening.”
Reach reporter Daniel Massey by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
