A Long Island police officer responding to reports of a gun-toting woman outside a 7-Eleven store at a busy intersection encountered an armed man allegedly pointing a pistol at officers and others — so he sideswiped the suspect with his patrol vehicle Tuesday, police said.
Officers arrived and found a 31-year-old Brooklyn man, Kiber Calderon, who also uses the identity of a 33-year-old woman named Hanna Carillo, waving a pistol in the middle of the street around 2:20 p.m., allegedly aiming it at drivers and responding officers.
Calderon was arrested twice in June in New York City but released under a "no-bail" policy, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said during a news briefing Wednesday.
County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who praised his department as the "most professional" in the country, said he was "pleased" with the actions of a quick-thinking officer who used a patrol SUV to knock down the suspect, causing only minor injuries and ending the crisis.
"In this case, it was somewhat ingenious that this officer took the action that he took," Blakeman said. "You had a subject that was pointing a gun at public, discharged the firearm on a public street, pointed the firearm at police officers and then pointed the firearm at his head, which obviously meant that he might have committed suicide had not the police officer taken swift and effective action."
Despite the suspect's appearance, clothes and alias, Ryder said Calderon identified as a male when interviewed by police.
Video of the incident shows Calderon walking sideways through the intersection of Jerusalem Avenue and Bellmore Avenue in North Bellmore, pointing the gun at his own head moments before a marked SUV swerves into view and knocks him to the ground with the front fender.
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Other officers then sprint over, take the gun and gain control of the situation.
Nassau County police said they recovered a loaded gun from the scene.
They arrested Calderon on nine charges, including menacing, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon and drugs.
At the time of his arrest, Calderon was facing charges of second- and third-degree burglary and trespassing in New York City.
Calderon suffered only minor injuries and is due in court after his release from the hospital, where he was being treated for physical injuries and a psychological evaluation.
The officer was also hospitalized for trauma and remains on sick leave, Ryder said.
Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
