A serious incident took place in Manhattan on Thursday when two police sergeants were shot while responding to a robbery on the Lower East Side. The situation began when officers received a call around 4:15 p.m. about a man with a gun robbing women of their purses on the second floor of a building located at 91 Canal Street.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Joshua Dorsett, entered a Mahjong parlor, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at several women. He stole their purses and fled the scene.
As Dorsett ran away, a special operations team from the 5th Precinct was nearby at 95 Canal Street, looking into an illegal smoke shop. The officers heard the screams of the robbery victims coming from just two doors away.
The officers quickly rushed outside and worked through a language barrier to gather descriptions of the suspect. Several victims informed them that Dorsett had headed north toward Delancey Street.
In a matter of just seven minutes, two uniformed police sergeants, 43-year-old Carl Johnson from the 5th Precinct and 34-year-old Christopher Leap from the 7th Precinct, spotted Dorsett about five blocks away at 167 Eldridge Street.
With the help of two additional officers, the sergeants managed to catch Dorsett and pin him against a car. However, he refused to give up his hands. During the struggle, Dorsett reached into his front pocket and pulled out a gun, according to NYPD officials. A fight for the weapon broke out, during which Dorsett fired a shot. The bullet struck Johnson in the thigh and grazed Leap’s leg.
Both officers were immediately taken to Bellevue Hospital and are reported to be in stable condition. Leap, who has been a member of the force for 11 years and works as a neighborhood coordination sergeant, was released from the hospital Thursday night, greeted by cheering officers, along with his wife and mother.
Johnson, a public safety sergeant with 16 years of service, is expected to be released on Friday. Both sergeants are anticipated to make a full recovery from their injuries.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban expressed gratitude for the officers’ safety, stating, “Our officers were out there doing the job we ask them to do, and we are very grateful that they’re going to be okay.”
As for the suspect, Dorsett was taken into custody, and police recovered a loaded .45 caliber pistol from the scene. Notably, the officers did not return fire during the incident.
NYPD officials revealed that Dorsett has three prior arrests, the most recent being in 2022 for criminal possession of a controlled substance in Manhattan. They also noted that he is a known gang member. Dorsett was on probation and had visited his probation officer earlier on Thursday.
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Authorities are continuing to investigate the robbery location and have indicated that gambling may be linked to the incident.
