Suspect shot during attempted robbery of off-duty officer in the Bronx

TREMONT, Bronx (WABC) -- An off-duty NYPD sergeant shot a man once during an apparent attempted robbery in the Bronx early Monday.

"I heard four or five shots, I heard gunshots and then I could hear somebody screaming, 'Call the police please, I'm a police officer, call the police,'" said Doris Green, a witness.

A small army of NYPD officers responded from every direction.

You can see a sense of urgency in the exclusive video obtained by EWN. One of their own, an off-duty housing sergeant, had just been held up by three men at gunpoint at the corner of Creston Avenue and E. 179th Street.

"I heard the shooting; I saw it," said Rickie, a witness.

It was right around 4 a.m. Monday, officials say the 32-year-old officer had just gotten off work was heading home.

The three suspects surrounded him, pulled out knives that were recovered at the scene, and took the officer's cell phone.

Then, authorities maintain, they spotted the officer's shield, pulled out a gun and in Spanish yelled "Shoot him, shoot him".

But, the officer was able to pull out his weapon and open fire.

When I looked out the window, I could see his face clear as day, he was backing up, he had his weapon drawn and everything and he had the guy down on the floor," Green said.

The officer managed to shoot one of the suspects in the torso.

Two other suspects took off running down Creston Avenue.

In the video, you see what appears to be a match; the pair rounded the corner and headed up East Tremont.

"I thought it was some other, somebody, a regular shooting, somebody shooting at somebody," Rickie said.

In the minutes after, police tried to find the two suspects by checking inside stores, but the pair slipped away.

"It was scary because I didn't want to be his neighbor that knows him, to look out the window and actually see something happened to him, I don't think I would be able to live with that," Green said.

Police say one suspect was wearing a red jacket and was armed with a gun, while the other was wearing a black jacket and was armed with a knife.

The officer was not injured, but he was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital to be checked out.

The 18-year-old suspect who was shot was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.