Manhattan shootout as cops confront jewelry thieves

A dramatic shootout unfolded in Manhattan early Monday morning after cops confronted a gang that is suspected of being involved in a string of recent jewel thefts.

Shots were fired in the Big Apple after officers came across three men they believe have perpetrated the muggings, which have taken place as patrons have emerged from high-end restaurants. The thefts have netted over $4 million worth of jewelry, police said.

Police fired at least two shots after they attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which the suspects were traveling.

After the confrontation, three bullet holes were visible on the windshield of the BMW in which the three men were riding. Two of them ran off, police said, but a 19-year-old man was arrested and a gun was recovered.

The drama played out over several blocks beginning about 1:20 a.m. when police tried to stop the BMW, which has a license plate that belongs to a Mercedes-Benz, on W. 28th St. near Sixth Ave.

Shots were fired moments later, with the BMW driver jumping a curb then speeding off.

The suspects got out of the car by Fifth Ave. and W. 28th St. and ran off, with the teen grabbed by cops near Madison Park.

Police said the suspects may be linked to two August robberies.

On Aug. 14, two men, ages 47 and 27, were robbed as they left TAO Downtown. The thieves escaped with a Richard Mille watch and other jewelry worth about $4 million from the older victim and a $10,000 medallion necklace from the younger victim.

On Aug. 19, a 34-year-old man leaving Pergola on W. 28th St. near Sixth Ave. in Chelsea was robbed of about $100,000 worth of jewelry.

It is not clear if the same suspects have been linked to the Sept. 15 robbery at the celebrity hangout Philippe, a Chinese restaurant. In that incident, a 28-year-old man on a first date was shot in the leg trying to fight back against two masked suspects. They fled with a Rolex from another diner.