Two police sergeants were shot Thursday during a struggle with a suspected gang member who had allegedly robbed several women inside a Lower East Side business moments earlier, according to police.
The 22-year-old suspect, identified as Joshua Dorsett, allegedly shot one of the officers in the groin, and the samebullet passed through and grazed the other cop in the left leg, according to the police.
Both cops were taken to Bellevue Hospital and are expected to survive.
Dorsett was taken into custody at the scene, police said during a press conference Thursday evening.
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As they fought, the gunman sunk a hand into his waistband, yanked out a pistol and fired – striking, sources said.
Dorsett — who is affiliated with the local“Up the Hill” gang, according to cops — has three prior arrests,including for criminalpossession of a controlledsubstance. He is currently on probation and even visited his probation officer Thursday morning.
Before the shooting, Dorsett allegedly robbed multiple women of purses during an armed stickup at a Mahjong Parlor at 91 Canal Street at around 4:15 p.m., NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
When officers responded, the victims told them the suspect fled on Delancey Street where the pair of sergeants spotted a person matching the description the womengave about seven minutes later, Kenny said.
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They attempted to restrain him but the suspect,later ID’edas Dorsett, resisted.
Dorsett and the two sergeants got into an ensuing struggle against a vehicle before the accused gangb*nger allegedly pulled a gunfrom his waistband and fired one round.
The officers did not return fire despite both being shot.
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Other responding officers were able to restrain Dorsett and take him into custody. Charges against the suspected gunman were pending Thursday night.
Policerecovered a45 Taurus semi-automatic pistolat the scene, Kenny said.
The two wounded cops were then rushed to Bellevue Hospital.
One of the sergeants is 43 years old and has been with the NYPD for 16 years. The other sergeant, Christopher Leap, is 34 years old and has been with the police department for 11 years, NYPD Chief of the Department Jeffrey Maddrey and sources said.
Maddrey said both sergeants are in “good spirits.”
Leap, the officer grazed in the leg, was released from the hospital at around 9 p.m. to a crowd of uniformed officers cheering as he was pushed out the doors ina wheelchair.The sergeant hit in the groin is expected to remain in the hospital overnight.
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Mayor Eric Adams commended the cops during the press briefing earlier in the evening.
“To put your life at risk for others, to answer the calls of service and to respond and walk, run towards danger as people move away from it,” Adams said. “The NYPD moved quickly in response to this armed robbery and focused their resources to swiftly apprehend the perpetrator.”
The chaotic struggle happened during broad daylight hours in the busy lower Manhattan neighborhood — scaring bystanders.
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Maxwell Vice, 25, of the Lower East Side, said he watched the ordeal go down as it happened.
“There’s a scuffle at this corner and there’s like four or five officers, and out of nowhere I hear a pop and everyone ducks,” Vice told The Post. “I ducked because I didn’t know if there was going to be a shootout with the cops. But then, out of nowhere, like 400 cops came in.”
Vice described the suspect as a tall man wearing an all-gray Nike tracksuit.
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“They said he had a gun, but I couldn’t tell because he was running so fast,” Vice said, describing the scuffle as one perp against about two dozen cops.
“He was pressing them,” he said. “When I saw he was pressing the police I was like, ‘Oh my God, someone’s gonna get shot.’ That’s why I crouched.
“Before I heard the shot, it was already clear that an altercation was going to happen. So I ducked because I wasn’t getting shot by no f–king bullet.”
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The police shooting comes after NYPD officer and married father of one Jonathan Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Queens this March.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said he was relieved both sergeants will recover from Thursday’s shooting.
“And as the mayor said, today is yet another reminder of the dangers we’ll see police officers face every day as they go out there to keep our city safe,” Caban said.
Many in the law enforcement community noted that many shootings of police officers do not have happy endings and called on prosecutors to keep career criminals off the street.
“We were very lucky tonight because this could have easily been a much more tragic event. The men and women of the NYPD put their lives on the line every time they come to work,” Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent Vallelong said in a statement.
“They perform their duties without hesitation, regardless of the dangers. Let’s hope the Manhattan District Attorney performs his duties with the same level of dedication and commitment,” he added.
PBA President Patrick Hendry said in a statement the incident involved “another repeat offender who thought he could attack police officers and escape justice” and called on the court system to be tougher in halting crime.
“We have been in courtroom after courtroom across this city, demanding real consequences for violence against police officers,” he said.
“Our justice system needs to start delivering those consequences – not just when the spotlight is on, but every single time.”
Additional reporting by ValentinaJaramillo andDavid Propper
