Robbers Shoot Off-Duty Cop at Bronx Car Shop

An off-duty police officer was shot when a group of robbers attempted to rob his family's business in the Bronx, officials say.

The officer, identified as Juan Pichardo, was at his family's auto dealership at 3040 Boston Road in Williamsbridge when two men walked into the business at about 6:30 p.m., according to officials. Two other accomplices waited outside in a getaway car.

The two suspects inside the store feigned interest in one of the cars near the dealership office, then took out a gun and forced Pichardo and another employee to the floor in the back office, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said at a press conference. The robbers ransacked the office, all the while holding a gun toward Pichardo's face.

At some point, Pichardo stood up and grabbed the gunman, who fired and shot Pichardo in the right thigh. Kelly said. Still, Pichardo managed to overpower the gunman with the help of the other employee and wrestled him to the ground, disarming him. The other suspect fled in the getaway car.

Pichardo, who was not armed, called in a description of the suspects while he was wounded, Kelly said. Police swarmed the area in response and closed nearby roads as they searched for the suspects. The getaway car was located at 183rd Street and Katonah Avenue, and the three suspects were taken into custody.

Investigators responding to the dealership recognized the gunman as a wanted member of a Bronx robbery crew. He was also taken into custody.

The wounded Pichardo was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, where Kelly visited him. He's in stable condition and expected to be OK. 

In a separate incident in Brooklyn Thursday evening, two other NYPD officers were shot on the subway, officials said.

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