Police gun down scam artist in New York

No one else was injured. The 25-year-old suspect was believed to be conning tourists along Broadway and 46th street when he was recognised by a sergeant who works on a task force that monitors aggressive panhandling, chief New York police department spokesman Paul Browne said.

When the officer approached, the man took off  and through the Marriott Marquis hotel’s passenger drop-off area, Browne said. The sergeant pursued, and the man turned and fired with a Mac-10 machine pistol that held 30 rounds; he got off two shots before it jammed. The officer returned fire, killing the suspect, Browne said.

Dave Kinmahan, a tourist from Boston, was parking his car in a spot below street level at the hotel when he saw one man shooting another. “I was 20 yards away,” Kinmahan said. He said he thought, “Is this real or this a movie?”

The hotel is located near the heart of Times Square. The area includes the Minskoff Theatre, home to the popular show The Lion King, and bullets hit the theatre ticket box near the Marquis, cracking the window.

Dozens of policemen surrounded the hotel, taping off the valet parking area as tourists and holiday shoppers stopped to watch the commotion.

The slain man was not immediately identified. Officers suspected him and another man were working a scam in which they would approach tourists, ask them their names, then write their names on CDs and demand payment of $10. The 25-year-old suspect was been wanted for assault in the Bronx. There were 27 live rounds left in his gun, authorities said.