Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. And sometimes things happen so fast, nothing you do (or don’t) makes a difference anyway. Fortunately for NYPD Officer Thomas Richards, he was carrying a spare mag in just the right place and it may have saved his life. Richards and his partner were cruising at 1:15 a.m. when Luis Martinez spotted their police van and did an immediate 180 . . .
When they caught up to the suspicious pedestrian, he sent a 9mm round Richards’ way. According to wausaudailyherald.com, the bullet hit one of Richards’ spare mags.
Richards and Dunne fired back between 15 and 17 rounds total, and Martinez was struck once in the leg. He still fled, leaving a trail of blood to an apartment in a nearby housing project, police said. Responding officers found him in a back bedroom and he was arrested without incident. A 9 mm Taurus handgun was recovered from a trash bin of Martinez’ apartment building, police said.
Other than a bad bruise, Richards was none the worse for wear. And he has a hellofa conversation piece for the coffee table at home. Now if we can just do something about the cops’ New York triggers.