North Bellmore, New York – Quick thinking by a Long Island police officer probably saved a handful of lives on Tuesday.
As the Daily Mail reported, a Long Island police officer used a police SUV to knock down a woman suffering a dangerous meltdown in the middle of a busy intersection. The paper notes that the unidentified 33-year-old female was firing a semi-automatic pistol in the air and threatening motorists by pointing it at them.
Nassau County Police told the Daily Mail that police were called to the scene at roughly 2:20 PM.
A video shot by a pedestrian shows the female walking sideways in the street before pointing the gun at her head. A police SUV then arrives and takes a hard right turn.
The deranged woman is hit in the legs by the front bumper of the vehicle and falls to the ground. Police then rush onto the scene to detain her.
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Despite the hard strike and subsequent fall, the woman somehow managed to escape with only minor injuries according to Newsday. She was treated at a local hospital.
Police said the officer was also sent to the hospital for a check-up on emotional trauma.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder praised the officer for his heroic act and explained why it was justified.
I am never going to Monday morning quarterback my cops.
The protocol in the police department is that deadly physical forces versus deadly physical force. That’s the law
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. The woman is in custody but has yet to be charged at this point.