Police and witnesses say their suspicions were right.
"The cops turned around and tried to follow them, so then they ran," witness Franklin Valdez said.
Police say when they approached the four men, one took off running.
They say the 18-year-old man led them down an alley to the front yard of a home and turned around with a handgun, leaving cops no choice but to fire.
"They just went to the alley and they started shooting," witness Jesus DeJesus said.
Police shot the suspect in the hand, thigh and buttocks. The officers were not hit.
Authorities confirm the suspect was taken to Jamaica Hospital. The other three men got away.
Four police officers were taken to North Shore Hospital to be treated for trauma.
