NYPD fatally shoot man in apparent Belt Parkway suicide by cop

Wild footage released Friday shows the moment NYPD cops fired a volley of bullets at a man who confronted them with a BB gun in an apparent case of suicide-by-cop.

The deadly incident began minutes before 4 p.m. Nov. 11, when officers in an unmarked car tried to pull over 65-year-old Brian Astarita, who was speeding in a gray Jeep Cherokee on the Belt Parkway near 87th Street, cops said.

On dashcam video, Officer Theresa Haley can be heard over the intercom ordering Astarita to move into the right lane and pull over into the Shore Road Park rest area — which he did after several commands.

Haley informed Astarita he was going 71 mph in a 50-mph zone. But when she asked Astarita for his driver’s license and registration, he said his license was suspended and drove off, body-worn camera footage shows.

Haley got back in her car and continued the pursuit, staying on Astarita’s tail until after the Verrazzano Bridge merge — where she positioned her vehicle in front of the suspect’s Jeep, cops said.

But as they approached the Bay 8th Street exit, Astarita rear-ended Haley’s vehicle.

Haley got out, yelling, “Stop the car! Stop the f—king car!”

But Astarita took off again, prompting Haley to yell, “You’re not smart!” as she got back behind the wheel.

Finally, Astarita got out of his car in the right lane — concluding the chase that spanned about 2.6 miles.

He opened the rear driver’s side door, pulled out what appeared to be a black gun and pointed it at Haley — as several other approaching drivers sat at a standstill.

“Don’t do it, don’t f–king do it!” Haley can be heard yelling.

“He’s got a gun, central!” she cried over her radio.

“Drop the gun!” she frantically commanded Astarita multiple times, before firing off 16 shots, cops said.

Officer Matthew Mellas, who had by then responded for backup, fired 11 shots, according to officials.

Astarita is shown falling to the ground in the middle of the busy roadway.

“Shots fired, shots fired, central!” both officers yell over the radio.

“Get in the car, get in the car!” Haley shouted at the other officer.

A responding ambulance rushed Astarita to NYU Langone Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m., cops said.

A Daisy Power Line Model 415, .177-caliber air pistol was found at the scene.

Haley and Mellas were taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where they were treated for tinnitus and released.

The chaotic scene was likely a case of suicide-by-cop, according to sources.

Astarita had at least six prior arrests, his latest in 2017 for an unlicensed operator of a vehicle, according to sources.
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