The 45-year-old man police say robbed a Brooklyn Dollar Tree at gunpoint last week, then turned his gun on cops responding to the scene, has been charged with attempted murder, robbery and other crimes in the case, the NYPD said Thursday.
Clarence Little, of Brooklyn, was leaving the Rockaway Parkway shop in Canarsie after the holdup last Thursday when officers caught up with him, according to the NYPD. The responding officers -- six- and 16-year veterans of the force -- got in some sort of altercation with him. He allegedly pulled out his gun and fired twice.
Both officers appeared to escape without injury and were taken to a hospital for evaluation as a precaution. Little was critically injured after being shot in the neck as the officers returned fire. No update on his condition was provided Thursday.
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No one else was hurt.
Officers were initially called to the scene by a worker who thought Little matched the description of a man who had stolen cash from the register the weekend before the armed holdup. Little approached the clerk the day of the shooting and tried to buy something, police allege, then pulled out his gun when the register opened.
The NYPD was already responding to the location when Little allegedly pulled out a weapon and stole more cash from the register. A gun was recovered at the scene.
In addition to the attempted murder and robbery charges, Little faces multiple accounts of resisting arrest, attempted assault and criminal possession of a loaded firearm. Information on a possible attorney for him wasn't immediately available.
