An officer of the New York Police Department was in critical condition after being dragged by a car in Brooklyn late Saturday. PHOTO: PETER J. SMITH FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
A New York Police Department officer was in critical condition Sunday after being dragged down a Brooklyn street by a stolen sedan.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Officer Dalsh Veve, 35 years old, had surgery Sunday morning and was “fighting for his life.”
Three suspects were in custody, including a 15-year-old, police said.
The events that led to the incident began around 11:50 p.m. Saturday, when police responded to three 911 calls of shots fired in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood, Commissioner James O’Neill said Sunday. Six plainclothes officers responded and found the 911 calls were in response to fireworks, Mr. O’Neill said.
Officer Veve spoke to several people inside a black Honda sedan, Mr. O’Neill said. Other officers then saw him being dragged by the sedan for 21/2 blocks.
“It appears that Police Officer Veve was able to discharge his service weapon twice while being dragged,” Mr. O’Neill said.
Officer Veve became free and fell on the street, police said. The car crashed a short distance later, according to police.
Mr. O’Neill said that shortly after the incident a 15-year-old walked into Brooklyn’s Brookdale Hospital with a gunshot wound. Police said the 15-year-old was in the Honda, which was stolen on Long Island.
Officer Veve has worked for the NYPD for nine years, and is married with a 2-year-old daughter, police said.
Write to Corinne Ramey at Corinne.Ramey@wsj.com