It happened around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police said they received multiple calls of a person firing a handgun into the air.
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Officers said when they arrived, they saw the suspect pointing the gun at passing drivers and police before pointing the gun at themselves.
An officer struck the suspect with the front passenger side of a patrol car, which caused them to fall to the ground. Police said the loaded gun was recovered.
The suspect was later identified by police as 33-year-old Kiber Calderon, who is also known as Hanna Carillo, and was taken into custody.
The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment.
"I don't think we're ever going to train for this, but in this situation, it worked and it was certainly justified by the threat of that gun to let that happen, so that's important to understand," said former NYPD Chief of Detectives and ABC News contributor Robert Boyce.
The suspect is facing a slew of charges, including menacing and reckless endangerment, drug charges and weapons charges.
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The suspect has two prior arrests for burglary and trespassing in New York City in June.
The officer was taken to an area hospital and is being treated for trauma.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder discussed the takedown by use of police vehicle.
"I asked him at the hospital why and he said, 'If I fired and I missed, there were people standing behind me,' so that officer made a sound decision, a very good decision, and because of that decision, probably saved the lives of not others but himself and the individual with that gun," Ryder said.
The investigation is ongoing.