Chilling surveillance footage captured the terrifying moments an 18-year-old gunman stalked an unmarked NYPD vehicle in Brooklyn before opening fire, striking a veteran detective in the back just 10 days before his planned retirement.
The shocking video shows the hooded suspect in dark clothing pacing near the parked cop car in Crown Heights early Sunday morning. He bends down, appears to load or rack a round into his semiautomatic pistol, drops it briefly, then picks it up and approaches the officers.
At approximately 4:14 a.m. on July 5, near Nostrand Avenue and St. John’s Place in the 77th Precinct, the armed teen ran up to the unmarked police vehicle and opened fire. Detective Robert Carroll, assigned to the Sex Offender Monitoring Unit, was hit in the back. His bulletproof vest took the full force of the bullet.
“His ballistic vest performed exactly as it was designed and today that vest saved his life,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press conference at Kings County Hospital, where Carroll was treated for a contusion on his back.
A second officer suffered minor contusions to the face and shoulder during the chaotic exchange. Carroll, described as a husband and veteran cop, is expected to make a full recovery.
The gunman fired at least two shots before three officers returned fire. The 18-year-old suspect was chased down and apprehended just a few blocks away after a brief struggle. He was tased during the takedown. Police recovered a SAR 9mm handgun at the scene.NYPD officials have not yet released the suspect’s name or additional details about his background.
The brazen attack unfolded while the officers were on a July 4 safety detail reassignment. The chilling footage shows the teen methodically stalking the vehicle before the ambush, a terrifying reminder of the dangers cops face every day on the streets of New York.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Tisch both addressed the incident, praising the quick actions of the responding officers and the life-saving performance of the detective’s vest.
Detective Carroll’s close call comes amid ongoing concerns about violent crime and attacks on law enforcement in the city. The veteran cop was rushed to the hospital but is expected to be okay, thanks to the thin layer of protection that stood between him and tragedy.
Cops on the scene and at the hospital expressed relief that their brother in blue survived what could have been a fatal ambush. The investigation remains active.
