Police shoot armed suspect wearing vest on Staten Island; 2nd man arrested

CHARLESTON, Staten Island (WABC) -- A heavily-armed suspect wearing a bullet-resistant vest was wounded after being shot by NYPD officers on Staten Island early Thursday, triggering a massive manhunt for a second suspect who ran off into the woods.

Authorities later took that man into custody in what was the third police shooting in as many days.

Police say they were confronted with a potentially deadly confrontation after answering a call of shots fired in a wooded area near Androvette and Kreischer streets in the Charleston section around 1 a.m.

"The one male, just about the same time, came from the side of the building," NYPD Assistant Chief Edward Delatore said. "And he turned on them and drew a .09-mm Glock 26."

As the second male fled, the officers fired at the first suspect, identified as 24-year-old Patrick Allen.

Allen was shot four times and was taken to Staten Island University Hospital North and is expected to survive. Police later discovered he had been wearing a heavy ballistic vest.

"We fired upon him, he was struck four times," Assistant Chief Terence Monahan said. "Three times to legs, once to the vest that he was wearing.

A search of the area also turned up an AR-15 rifle, but the hunt was still on for the second suspect.

"Because the first suspect had a bullet-proof vest on and there were shots fired at the scene, we would definitely consider the second suspect armed and dangerous," Delatore said.

Police spotted a person of interest around 6:30 a.m. and gave chase into the woods on Ellis Road, near Arthur Kill Road. Jonathan Derbyshire, 24, was caught and taken into custody.

"Both males are now under arrest," Monahan said. "We recovered a total of four firearms - three automatics and one machine gun."

Recovered by NYPD investigators:

Charges are now pending in an incident that again highlights the dangers officers face with potentially deadly consequences.

"I am always concerned at officer-involved shootings," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said. "But it's the beginning of the year. We will have to see how it plays out."