2 NYPD Officers Shot in Bronx; 2 Suspects Arrested

Two suspects in an armed holdup followed by a wild shootout that left a pair of plainclothes police officers wounded were arrested Tuesday after an intense manhunt.

Security video showed one of the men, Jason Polanco, blasting away at the officers with a powerful .44 Magnum pistol as they pursued him Monday night following the robbery in a Bronx grocery store, police said.

Polanco, 23, was arrested on attempted murder and robbery charges. The second man, 28-year-old Joshua Kemp, was charged with robbery.

At a news conference, New York Police Department officials praised five officers for choosing to respond to the robbery report even though their shifts had ended and they were about to head home. The two wounded offers were hospitalized in stable condition.

“I commend them for their courage,” Chief of Department James O’Neill said. “They were going home … and they ended up getting into a fierce firefight.”

Monday night’s violence unfolded as officers, part of an anti-crime unit, spotted Kemp outside a Chinese restaurant and Polanco inside it.

When the officers got out of their car and approached Kemp, Polanco shot one round through the window of the restaurant, striking Kemp and one officer. He went outside and fired two more shots, wounding the second cop.

Polanco ran away and carjacked a white Camaro that he crashed a few blocks away. He jumped out, ditched his gun and fled on foot, they said.

Kemp was caught after seeking treatment for his wound at a hospital, which contacted police.

This article appeared in print on page 17 of the January 7th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.