An NYPD sergeant was struck by a stolen SUV driven by an 18-year-old suspect in the Bronx on Sunday evening, according to police. The sergeant sustained leg injuries but was released from the hospital Monday and is expected to recover, Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. Two additional officers suffered minor injuries after the suspect collided with their vehicles during the incident.

The sequence of events began Saturday when a Kia Sportage with New Jersey license plates was reported stolen in the Bronx. On Sunday at 5:35 p.m., a license plate reader identified the vehicle in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Approximately ten minutes later, the car was detected entering the Bronx via the University Heights Bridge.

The NYPD Aviation Unit tracked the SUV from a helicopter while officers from the Community Response Team followed in unmarked vehicles. After a roughly one-mile pursuit, the suspect briefly stopped to release a female passenger before continuing. Two blocks away, on East Fordham Road near Webster Avenue, the suspect halted and was surrounded by officers in six unmarked cars.

Police repeatedly instructed the suspect and his remaining passenger to exit the vehicle, but the driver reversed, striking one of the unmarked police vehicles and multiple officers. The suspect then accelerated forward, deliberately driving into the sergeant standing nearby, who was knocked to the ground. Another officer avoided being hit by jumping onto an NYPD vehicle as the suspect attempted to flee again. During this second escape effort, the officer on the vehicle fired a shot through the windshield, hitting the suspect in the arm.

The suspect was taken into custody shortly afterward and transported to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition. A subsequent search of the Kia revealed a Glock .22 handgun with an extended magazine.

NYPD Assistant Chief Aneudy Castillo said the entire incident was recorded on police body cameras and is under review by the department’s Force Investigation Division, which examines all use-of-force incidents. Officers are generally instructed to avoid firing at moving vehicles unless there is an imminent threat to the safety of an officer or civilian.

The female passenger’s involvement remains unclear, and neither she nor the driver has been charged at this time. Police noted that the suspect had been previously arrested in February for a shooting near the location of Sunday’s confrontation and was released on bail in that case.

Mayor Adams expressed relief that the sergeant was recovering and extended support to the officers and community affected by the incident.