Two police officers wounded in Crown Heights shooting

A traffic stop in Crown Heights left two police officers wounded, one of whom is fighting for his life Monday. Police say the officers pulled over a BMW SUV that was stolen from the Five Towns Mitsubishi

News 12 Staff

Jul 10, 2007, 2:09 AM

Updated 6,307 days ago

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A traffic stop in Crown Heights left two police officers wounded, one of whom is fighting for his life Monday.
Police say the officers pulled over a BMW SUV that was stolen from the Five Towns Mitsubishi car dealership in Inwood, Long Island. The SUV was pulled over at Lefferts and Rogers avenues around 2:30 a.m. Officials say the suspects opened fire, hitting 23-year-old Officer Russell Timoshenko in the face. Officer Herman Yan, 26, was later shot in the chest.
"Seeing his partner fall to the ground and hearing shots, Officer Yan returned fire," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
A security video captured the shooting and another video showed three men on foot. Police recovered the SUV and three guns, including a .45-caliber and two 9 mm handguns.
Popeye?s chicken wrappers in the backseat of the BMW led officers to the Crown Heights Popeye?s location. The manager there says he handed over the surveillance tape from early Monday morning.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Timoshenko was in critical condition at Kings County Hospital and Yan is in stable condition. Officials credit Yan's bulletproof vest with saving his life.
Distraught family members arrived at the hospital to see the wounded officers. A steady stream of police officers arrived at the hospital after the shooting.
Bloomberg said there may be up to three suspects.
Police are now turning to the public for help. They?ve posted a $10,000 reward for anyone with any information leading to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for the shooting.
AP wire reports contributed to this story.
Click here for more on the investigation
For the full press conference with Bloomberg on the shootings, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.Related information:Crime Stoppers: 1-800-577-TIPS