Hero Cop Tasers Suspect Who Tried To Shoot Partner, NYPD Says
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A Manhattan police officer is being called a hero after stopping a suspect from shooting his partner Saturday.
"I didn't even do nothing… I didn't do anything. What did I do? What are they saying that I did?"
Amado Zubidi defiantly denied any wrongdoing as he was walked out of the NYPD's 7th Precinct in handcuffs Saturday.
Authorities paint a very different picture, saying that around 6 a.m. he shoved a fully-loaded revolver into Officer Jose Aracena's stomach during a traffic stop in the Lower East Side.
Before he could pull the trigger Aracena's partner, Luis Perez, moved in and tasered the gunman.
"This was as close as any police officer with a gun, I mean this was this was a bad scenario. Very bad," Capt. Aaron Edwards said.
Investigators told CBS2 the NYPD partners were acting as backup for the two other officers who had just spotted Zubidi's car near Columbia and Rivington Streets and called for extra man power.
Cops had been actively searching for the vehicle since last month, which was wanted in connection with a road rage shooting.
When all four officers approached the suspect and tried to get him out of the car, they say that's when Zubidi reached for his gun.
"I can't stress enough how dangerous this incident was, how tragic it could've turned out for both the officers and the suspect," Capt. Edwards added.
The NYPD said the officers worked together to handle a situation that could've taken a much darker turn.
"This is another example of the dangers that police officers face every day and I'm proud that our officers are okay and were able to get a dangerous individual off the streets."
Zubidi is charged with attempted aggravated murder of a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon, and resisting arrest.
One of the officers was taken to a hospital with elbow pain after the arrest, but all are expected to be okay.