NORTH BELLMORE, NY – A woman wielding a gun and disrupting traffic at a North Bellmore intersection was hit by a police officer’s vehicle, as confirmed by Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday afternoon when the woman fired the gun into the air at the crossroads of Bellmore and Jerusalem avenues.
Responding to the imminent threat, an officer used the squad car to knock her down. The police swiftly arrested her afterward, seizing a semi-automatic handgun.
Addressing the media, Commissioner Ryder defended the actions of the officer. “Protocol on the police department is that deadly physical force spurs deadly physical force,” he remarked.
He further explained that if someone poses a lethal threat to an officer or another person, the officer is justified in using equivalent force. In this case, the officer opted to use their vehicle to neutralize the threat.
Fortunately, the 33-year-old woman was transported to the hospital, only suffering minor injuries.
Authorities are expected to provide more details as the investigation progresses.