Monday night, August 12, New Haven Police Captain Anthony Duff was on his way to the hospital where his first grandchild was born. That’s when he saw a man fire a gun at another man.

Duff radioed in that he was pursing the suspect. The next message to come over the radio was Signal 4, “police officer down.”

“That is one of the most heart-wrenching things you can hear an officer give out over the airwaves,” says Anthony Campbell, the assistant chief for the Yale Police Department and former New Haven Police chief.

Campbell says he met Duff the day he came in for an interview with the New Haven Police Department. Duff was assigned to greet the new recruits. After he was hired, Campbell says Duff became a mentor, a role he continued, even working under Campbell, when he was promoted to chief of New Haven’s Police Department two years ago.

“If you ever are going to have an officer witnessing a shooting the officer you’d want to have is Captain Duff,” says Campbell.

Duff was hit three times by the still unidentified suspect’s bullets, including in the chest. The first day Duff was allowed visitors in his hospital room, Campbell was by his bedside.

“What I saw in him is a man who will make a full recovery and will get back to the work of serving the community,” Campbell says. “It’s heroic what he did that night, but I think the true heroism is not just in the two or three minutes that it took for this incident to occur Monday, the true heroism is the 24 years he’s given to this department,” says Campbell.

Campbell describes a dedicated officer beloved by his department and the community he served.

“Anytime there was a need, whether it was clothing, school supplies, turkeys or food for the community around Christmas or Thanksgiving Captain Duff was at the forefront,” he said.

Campbell recalled that Duff taught him and fellow officers to always check the refrigerator on domestic calls, to make sure the family had enough food. He also remembered that Duff always carried a teddy bear or toy in his patrol car, for the children caught in the middle of disputes.

“He took community policing to the level that I think every officer should,” says Campbell. “Making it not simply a mantra or the latest phrase for departments to through around. It’s a lifestyle for him.”

Duff was a regular at the Greek Olive restaurant, where he often planned those community fundraisers.

“He’s here all the time. He’s like someone you say good morning to, he’s a friend that everybody knows,” says manager Anna Antonakis.

Antonakis says news of the shooting was hard to believe.

“That initially itself was shocking, that an officer was shot, but when we saw the picture, all of us almost broke down and cried,” she says.

Besides his own family, perhaps no one has been more affected than those who also wear the badge.

“It does have a chilling effect you know many of us get used to the fact that our job is dangerous, that we put our lives on the line every day, that when we leave home it may be the last time that we get to say goodbye or I love you to our loved ones. That comes with the job. When the stark reality of an officer being shot in your department or your area it definitely does send a chilling effect,” says Campbell.

The suspect who shot Duff and also fatally wounded 46-year-old Troy Clark of West Haven, is still on the loose.

“It’s the priority of the department. It’s on all of our minds, and I can assure that every stone is being turned,” says New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Ryes.

Reyes says investigators have pinpointed a motive, but are not saying what that motive is. They do believe the suspect and victim knew each other and that there is no broad public threat.

The FBI and State’s Attorney’s office are involved in the case. Per protocol when a police officer is involved in a shooting, Duff will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

There’s no word on when Duff may return to work. Chief Reyes points out that it’s not just the wounds on the outside that Duff will have to deal with.

“The prognosis is that he’s going to make a full recovery, but it’s a long road. We know beyond the physical injuries there are other injuries to him and to his family that they will be dealing with for years to come,” Reyes says.

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro on Monday released a comprehensive animal welfare plan that includes a series of ambitious policy proposals, including making animal abuse a federal crime and cracking down on trophy hunting, NBC News reports.

“Our plan to advance animal welfare is not only the right thing to do, but will improve people’s lives through responsible pet ownership and a more sustainable agricultural system,” Castro said in a statement unveiling what he called “The PAW Plan."

Other top proposals in the plan include working to end euthanizing cats and dogs and expanding protected U.S. lands to 30 percent by 2030, with a goal of 50 percent by 2050. He proposed creating a $40 million grant program to expand spaying, neutering and vaccinations for low-income pet owners, strengthening the Endangered Species Act, banning use of federal land for fossil fuel exploration and ending the import of big-game trophies. Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, is an infamous big-game hunter.

Bristol police are investigating a report that someone left tainted Milk-Bone treats in a dog owner’s yard.

Police said a resident of Council Ring Drive reported Saturday that they found the treats partially eaten in their yard and that their dog became sick shortly after. The dog owner said the treats had a “toxic” odor and threw them out before officers arrived, police said.

The Animal Control officer checked on the dog, which appeared healthy, according to police. There have been no other complaints in the area.

Police encourage the public to report any suspicious incident at the time it happens, and not to handle unknown objects or substances.

The report is under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the Bristol Police Department at 860-584-3011.

A 28-year-old Norwalk woman is accused of removing her bathing suit at Compo Beach in Westport.

Anna Lee Halderman was arrested on Saturday, in connection with a July 15 incident at the beach.

According to police, a woman called them with a complaint about an indecent exposure at Compo Beach.

The caller told police that Halderman had removed the top part of her bathing suit to tan. The caller said she confronted Halderman about removing her top and that Halderman became belligerent and removed the bottom have of her suit as well, according to police.

Police said the woman told them Halderman appeared intoxicated and complained that the entire incident took place in front of her child.

In a later interview, Halderman told officers she did not recall what she did at the beach that day but apologized for her behavior, according to police.

Halderman turned herself into police on Saturday and was charged with risk of injury to a minor and second-degree breach of peace.

The unions representing CT Transit bus drivers have filed a class-action lawsuit against the agency alleging employees are not being properly compensated for travel time during their workday.

The lawsuit refers to the time bus drivers spend traveling from one assigned location to another during the workday. According to the lawsuit, drivers using shuttle bus transportation provided by CT Transit are only compensated for the actual time spent riding the shuttle, not for the time spent waiting for the shuttle, or waiting at the next location for their next shift to start.

According to the complaint, split shifts are common due to the demands on the bus schedules, and at least 100 employees are regularly impacted by this compensation issue.

The lawsuit claims current practices violates the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Portal to Portal Act, and the Connecticut Minimum Wage Act.

They offered several examples, including stories from drivers who work in Hartford and New Haven.

One example is the typical work day of Calvin Henry, a full-time bus driver who reports to the Hartford garage.

“Mr. Henry works a run Tuesday through Friday that requires him to report for work at the CT Transit Garage on Liebert Road in Hartford, and end the first part of his run on Market Street in Hartford at 10:08 a.m. He then walks about 4 minutes to Main Street, where he catches a bus (Route 38) back to Liebert Road, which departs at 10:30 and arrives at Liebert Road at 10:40, unless delayed. He then resumes service at Liebert Road more than one hour later in the day and concludes his overall day at Liebert Road. Mr. Henry is paid ten minutes for the time between 10:08 and 10:40, the time he actually spends on the Route 38 bus.”

The lawsuit was filed by the Connecticut Joint Conference Board (CJCB), which is made up with three local unions from the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 425, Local 281 and Local 443.

The suit is looking for the court to order CT Transit to “cease directing employees to travel from place to place in the city during their work day without compensation for the time expended in waiting to travel on CT shuttle service,” award the plaintiffs double damages, overtime pay for employees who would have exceeded 40 hours a week with this time added to their pay, attorney fees, and any other action deemed appropriate to enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act, Connecticut Wage and Hour laws, and Portal to Portal Act.

Kevin Nursick, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which operates CT Transit, said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Several towns are dealing with flooding and downed trees and wires after storms moved through Monday afternoon.

About 10,000 UI and Eversource outages were reported across the state. Fairfield, Madison, Coventry, and Westport were some of the hardest hit.

In Middletown, a tree came down on a building on Crescent Street. Fire officials said no one was hurt. The building was being renovated for administrative use for the Middlesex YMCA.

Hamden emergency officials responded to scattered power outages in seven locations and minor street flooding during the storms Monday afternoon. As of 6 p.m., United Illuminating was estimating 1,400 without power in town.

Police in Stamford and Fairfield also reported trees and wires down as the storms moved through. In Stamford, Strawberry Hill Road was closed between Alton Road and Oaklawn Avenue after wires came down across the road.

In Fairfield, police said their 911 lines were being overwhelmed and asked that anyone who needed a tree that was not posing an immediate risk removed file a service request online at fairfieldct.org/311.  As of 5:45 p.m. United Illuminating reported 1,621 without power in Fairfield.

In Norwalk, drivers had to navigate street flooding on West Avenue. Around the same time, crews responded to a fire at a home on Richlee Road.

In Darien, the Post Road was closed at Tokeneke Road due to flooding.

Get the latest weather conditions anytime here.

A firefighter was injured battling a fire started after a lightning strike in Norwalk Monday.

Fire officials said the firefighter was knocked unconscious when a section of ceiling fell during the call at 1 Richlee Road Monday. He was taken to Norwalk Hospital where he was in “good spirits,” while undergoing tests, fire officials said.

The fire started when lightning struck the house around 4:50 p.m. By the time fire crews arrived, there was heavy fire in the rear corner of the house and flames had worked into the inside of the home. The fire spread through the kitchen, dining room and living room as firefighters managed a 120-gallon propane tank at the back of the home, which was sending a fireball into the air as it expelled through its relief valve.

One person and two dogs that were in the home escaped unharmed. Firefighters also found a cat unharmed in a downstairs laundry room.

The home was deemed unfit for occupancy. The American Red Cross responded to assist the residents.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists have issued a First Alert for the chance of severe weather Wednesday.

Another 90-degree day is likely Tuesday with lowering humidity.

Scattered storms are possible Wednesday, especially in the afternoon. There is the threat for severe storms including gusty winds and hail. Temperatures will be in the 80s.

Thursday may see a leftover storm, and will otherwise be partly cloudy with highs in the 80s.

The unsettled weather clears out by Friday and the weekend.

Get the latest forecast anytime here.

A crash involving a pedestrian has closed Middletown Avenue in New Haven on Tuesday morning.

Police said it happened near 662 Middletown Avenue just before 4 a.m.

It is unclear if the vehicle that hit the pedestrian stopped.

Authorities have not released details on the pedestrian's condition.

This is a developing story. NBC Connecticut will update this story as details become available.

A 17-year-old scooter driver is in serious condition after a collision with a motorcycle in Hartford late Monday night.

Police said the scooter and the motorcycle collided on New Park Avenue at Merrill Street around 11:30 p.m.

The scooter driver was seriously injured in the crash, according to officers. It is unclear if the motorcyclist was injured in the accident.

New Park Avenue was closed while police investigated. The crime scene accident reconstruction team responded to the scene.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Twenty-five people have died and dozens more have been hospitalized after drinking tainted liquor in Costa Rica, NBC News reported, citing health officials.

The announcement Monday came nearly a month after the country’s health ministry first put the alcohol-related death toll at 19 and attributed the deaths to methanol poisoning.

Liquor producers sometimes use the potentially toxic liquid to increase profit margins and raise alcohol content, according to the Associated Press.

In a news release, Costa Rica’s Health Ministry said it had seized more than 55,000 bottles of liquor and shuttered 10 supermarkets and other places in the country’s capital, San José, and in the city of Alajuela, that sold the tainted alcohol.

It's almost that time again! Students are getting ready to head back to school. In Hartford, the district held a back-to-school celebration at Dunkin' Donuts Park to get families what they need so every student is prepared for the first day.

At the event on Monday, families could get answers to questions they had about the upcoming school year. There were also free school supplies for students including pencils, books, and backpacks. Students also got free haircuts and played games.

A lot of the focus for district officials was on absenteeism. Attendance is something Hartford Public Schools says plays a key role in success.

"We know that when a student is not in school, he or she or they cannot access the learning, which is why it's so important that we tend to our absenteeism," said Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez.

"We want you to be in the seat, get in that seat on the first day of school," said Nuchette Black-Burke, Chief of Family and Community Partnerships. "We understand that there might be situations and barriers for families on the first day. That's why we do things like this. You can get a backpack, find out information for uniforms, we had raffles for uniform vouchers."

Black-Burke said if students don't have a uniform or the right shirt to still come and school officials will help.

Officials say more than 1,000 families showed up at the event on Monday and that they ran out of backpacks to give to students, but those who attended the event got a voucher to grab one later.

"For those who came today and were unable to get a backpack, if you are a Hartford Public School student, you can receive a voucher and meet us down at the welcome center: 960 Main Street, the first floor. And you'll be able to receive that backpack. We ask that you come Thursday, this Thursday, August 22 so you have it in time for school," said Black-Burke.

Dozens of community partners took part in the event and said the best part was seeing excited students ready for school.

Police are investigating an overnight shooting at a home in Norwich on Tuesday.

Officers said shots were fired into a home on Surrey Lane from the outside around 12:30 a.m.

Authorities are working to determine if the shooting was a drive-by or walk-by or if it happened during an argument in front of the home, according to police.

One person was taken to the hospital with injuries that officers said do not appear to be life-threatening.

Surrey Lane is closed while detectives continue their investigation.

There is no word on a motive at this point.

The hot pink "emoji house" in a ritzy stretch of Manhattan Beach just steps away from the sand that was the focus of a neighborhood battle is now for sale for a cool $1.749 million, the real estate agent said.

The home, located on 39th Street near Highland Avenue, went on the market Monday, weeks after the fuchsia residence was the center of a community controversy. 

The fight began when property owner Kathryn Kidd said several residents reported her home to the city. 

Kidd began listing the home as a short-term rental — which is illegal in the city of Manhattan Beach. Airbnb did not confirm the home was listed on its site. 

Kidd said she simply made a mistake.

She paid the $4,000 fine for renting out the home, back when it was a pale sandy color, and turned the home into a long term rental.

Kidd lives a couple blocks away in another property, and said she hired a painter known as "Z The Art" on Instagram to brighten up the home.

"It has nothing to do with short term rentals. It doesn't have anything to do with any of the neighbors over there," Kidd insists.

But other neighbors still believe it is an eyesore, and a form of retaliation. 

"I don’t think of it as artwork. I think of it as an F-U!" an anonymous neighbor said.

The neighbor who decided to remain anonymous said she felt the emoji house was painted to make fun of her and was a personal attack on her.

Two emoji faces, both with long black eyelashes, were painted on the home. One is a silly face, and the other dons a zipper covering its mouth. 

"I think it means to shut up, stop talking — zip your lip," neighbor Dina Doll said. 

Kidd stood behind her reasons and said she is an art collector and loves emojis. She said the zipper emoji has to do with her daughter. She also said that it is a message to young women to cover up their bodies in order to protect themselves.

"The zipper relates more to fashion and to protect young women from exposing themselves because of all the weirdos around," Kidd said.

Neighbors said they're not buying Kidd's story, and believe the house is ruining their property value.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen but we're going to go after her with everything that we can," the neighbor said while in tears.

It wasn't immediately clear if the controversy inspired Kidd to list the home. 

"It is my building and I choose to paint it the colors that I want," Kidd said.

By the numbers, there is no bigger advocate of President Donald Trump on Facebook than The Epoch Times. The small New York-based nonprofit news outlet has spent more than $1.5 million on about 11,000 pro-Trump advertisements in the last six months, according to data from Facebook’s advertising archive — more than any organization outside of the Trump campaign itself, and more than most Democratic presidential candidates have spent on their own campaigns, NBC News reported. 

Those video ads — in which unidentified spokespeople thumb through a newspaper to praise Trump, peddle conspiracy theories about the “Deep State,” and criticize “fake news” media — strike a familiar tone in the online conservative news ecosystem. The Epoch Times looks like many of the conservative outlets that have gained followings in recent years. But it isn’t. 

Behind the scenes, the media outlet’s ownership and operation is closely tied to Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual community with the stated goal of taking down China’s government. It's also linked to Shen Yun a dance troupe known for its ubiquitous advertising and unsettling performances. 

Former practitioners of Falun Gong told NBC News that believers think the world is headed toward a judgment day, where those labeled “communists” will be sent to a kind of hell, and those sympathetic to the spiritual community will be spared. Trump is viewed as a key ally in the anti-communist fight, former Epoch Times employees said. 

Check out NBC News' full report here.

A 3-year-old girl from Honduras was united with her aunt in Frisco, Texas, on Monday after she became separated from her father crossing the border two months ago.

The girl somehow ended up in Reading, Pennsylvania, and was escorted to DFW Airport Monday afternoon by a social worker.

Waiting for the flight to arrive in Terminal E, her aunt, Glenda Aleman, could hardly contain her emotions.

"I've waited for this moment for a long time," Aleman said in Spanish.

Clutching balloons that say "Princess," she waited for her young niece she had met before only on video chats and seen in photos.

NBC DFW is not identifying the girl because of her age and because it's unclear what she's gone through during the separation.

Aleman says the girl's father was targeted by criminal gangs in Honduras and wanted to escape the violence.

The two crossed the border in June intending to apply for asylum.

The father, Osman Dubon-Venegas, was arrested and remains in jail in New Mexico. According to court records, he faces a charge of re-entering the U.S. after he was deported in 2012. He also had been previously convicted of vandalism.

The first two weeks after his arrest, the girl's family says they had no idea where she was.

"It was a very difficult time not knowing about her,” Aleman said.

Somehow the girl ended up in Pennsylvania with a nonprofit group, which arranged for a flight to DFW so she can stay with her aunt.

A social worker escorted the child for the cross-country trip.

As other passengers claimed their baggage, the girl hugged her aunt and cousin, who also is 3-years-old.

It's a scene being repeated as children become separated from their parents crossing the border, only to be united weeks or months later with relatives already living in the U.S.

The outcome of her father's court case is far from clear.

And her mother? She's still back home in Honduras. She spoke with us via Facetime.

"I feel more at peace because she's now with my sister," said Lucia Patricia Aleman Garay. "This process has been the most difficult in my life."

She said she has no idea when she'll see her daughter -- or her husband -- again.

Asked about the case, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred questions to another agency, Customs and Border Protection.

A CBP spokeswoman in Houston said she would work on providing information on Tuesday.

Florida is on the verge of losing one of its most precious commodities.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The state of the Florida Reef Tract is dire," Dr. Erinn Muller of Mote Marine Laboratory on Summerland Key said.

Already crippled by bleaching, dredging, pollution and storm damage, now our coral reefs are under assault from disease.

"We are losing corals at an unprecedented rate," Muller admitted. "The Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has been ravaging the reef for the past five years."

Scientists point to evidence that some species lost up to 95% of the colonies in the Florida Keys. Many of those species are responsible for building the framework of the reefs.

Muller is part of a collaboration of scientists trying to figure out what is causing the disease and how they can fight it. During a two-week study over the summer, Muller and her team were part of an expedition orchestrated by OceanX surveying more than 100 reef sites.

"The goal for the OceanX mission this trip was to get a pulse on the reef tract from Key Biscayne all the way to the Dry Tortugas. We hope this will give us a way for managing this disease outbreak as it continues and to prevent it from occurring in the future."

Scientists cannot be certain as to the cause, but they suspect it's bacterial and spread through the seawater.

Climate change may have given it the perfect conditions for the decimation.

"As the environment changes, whether it's from global climate change or local habitat degradation, corals are becoming more vulnerable to disease infection because they're becoming more immune compromised," Muller said.

"This disease is only the latest insult, unfortunately, to these reefs," added Dr. Vincent Pieribone, a Yale physiologist and Vice Chairman of OceanX. "It's like a wildfire burning through our reefs. It's just horrible. It's a disaster."

The disease turn coral tissue white and causes it to fall off the coral skeleton and it affects 22 different coral species. Researchers believe it started in Miami and spread north to Martin County, then south to Key West.

"It's probably the worst coral disease outbreak that's ever been recorded anywhere in the world," said Dr. Andrew Baker, a marine biologist at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

While OceanX studies the disease on the reef, Baker is part of UM's coral rescue operation that saves healthy coral colonies before they can get infected.

"It's been decided that we should identify corals that are ahead of the disease outbreak and bring them into these land-based facilities while the disease outbreak goes through."

UM's dive team locates healthy colonies in the Dry Tortugas where the disease hasn't reached yet. They then carefully remove corals from the reefs to bring back to the Key Biscayne lab. On average, a dozen divers can collect 130 corals per day.

But it's more than just a search and rescue operation.

"I think the goal is actually more ambitious than that," Baker said. "What we want to do is use these corals as seed stock for the next generation, so we're actually going to be trying to breed these so that their offspring can be used to be replanted onto the reefs."

"And because these corals didn't see the disease, it means that all of that genetic diversity that would have ordinarily been lost is preserved."

The rescued corals are studied, cared for and, after a few weeks, delivered to aquariums around the country for specialized care.

"During which time we will be developing our breeding and restoration strategies to take those corals back and continue the work here in Florida," said Lisa Gregg of the Florida Coral Rescue Team co-leader. "It may be three years, maybe five years. We know that when it is time, we will be ready."

UM and OceanX, in coordination with Florida Sea Grant, NOAA, Florida Fish & Wildlife and more, undertake these efforts because of the importance that coral reefs represent to South Florida.

"These reefs are really important, not just because they're the rainforests of the sea, but actually because they protect our coastlines from storms," Baker stated. "I think we have to realize that Miami has an environmental economy and it's worth money and if we don't invest in that, we can't expect it to be sustainable."

"We're not taking the necessary measures to protect them from the threats that we ourselves are creating. If you lose the coral reef resources, all of those things that we take for granted to sustain our essentially tourist economy are going to be lost."

For Pieribone, this crusade is personal. He is a native of Titusville and grew up diving in the Florida Keys.

"We have this amazing asset and it's our collective responsibility to protect it," Pieribone attested. "We owe it to ourselves and the world to do what we can. It's hurting right now."

"We simply cannot allow our barrier reef to be lost. It's as important as the sequoias and the redwoods. This is a national treasure and letting this go is simply not an option."

An armed elderly man who police said went to his nephew's job in Watertown and threatened him on Monday has been arrested.

Officers received a call from employees at Stonybrook Construction on Echo Lake Road Extension around 2:30 p.m.

Police said the employees told them that a man, later identified as 88-year-old Daniel Cashman, of Waterbury, entered the lobby with a gun strapped to his hip and asked if his nephew, who is an employee of the business, was working.

Employees said Cashman showed them what appeared to be a police badge and proceeded to explain that his nephew stole some items from him including two suits, a cane and damaged his cuckoo clock.

According to employees, Cashman started tapping his holstered gun and said he was going to shoot his nephew, not to kill him, but only to shoot him in the leg.

Authorities said employees told Cashman his nephew was not in the building at the time and they did not know where he was working next.

Cashman allegedly then thanked the employees for their time and advised them he would return on Tuesday.

Officers said it should be noted that employees described Cashman as confused and nonsensical and said Cashman never unholstered the gun.

Police located Cashman at his home in Waterbury, where he was taken into custody.

Cashman is facing charges including threatening and breach of peace. He voluntarily surrendered his valid Connecticut Pistol Permit, authorities added.

Watertown detectives later executed a search and seizure warrant and found Cashman's gun, investigators said.

Cashman was released from custody on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

A woman is in critical condition after a stabbing in Vernon on Tuesday morning.

Police said it happened on Bellevue Avenue around 10 a.m.

According to authorities, an adult woman has a stab wound to her leg. She was initially brought to Rockville Hospital, but was transferred to Hartford in critical condition.  Police said her injuries are life-threatening.

Officers believe they have everyone involved in the stabbing, they said.

A second person suffered a minor injury and was treated, according to police.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Vernon Police.

A Bridgeport police officer is accused of hitting a juvenile with his gun during a traffic stop on Friday night.

An officer said he was on routine patrol driving northbound on Barnum Avenue around 9:45 p.m. when he saw a vehicle that had been listed as stolen.

As the vehicle continued driving onto Jane Street, the officer said he activated his emergency lights and sirens and began conducting a felony stop with his gun unholstered and at the low ready.

The officer said he began yelling at the driver to stick his hands out the window.

Police said he noticed the juvenile moving around and ducking under the seat, popping his head up while facing the officer.

The juvenile continued to ignore commands to stick his hands out the window and instead opened the vehicle's door and abruptly exited, facing the officer, authorities added.

The officer continued to yell for the juvenile to face away from him and lean against the car, however, the juvenile would not turn around, police said.

While walking away, the officer said he watched both of the juvenile's hands drop to his waist line and feared the juvenile may grab a weapon.

The juvenile turned away and the officer said he could no longer see the juvenile's right hand.

According to the officer, when he feared the juvenile was reaching for a weapon, he used the magazine area of his department-issued gun as an emergency impact weapon and hit the juvenile.

The juvenile fell to the ground and with the help of another officer, police were able to handcuff him and conduct a search, authorities said.

Authorities said the juvenile told them that he found the vehicle when asked who the vehicle belonged to.

After the juvenile was in the back of a police car, an officer said he tried to ask for his information and noticed the juvenile had moved his handcuffs to the front when he was handcuffed with his hands to his back.

The officer said he asked the juvenile if he had attempted to discard contraband in the back of the patrol vehicle and removed the juvenile from the car.

While searching, police said they found five glassine wax paper folds containing an off-white powdery substance tied with a black rubber band inside of a clear plastic baggie in the same area where the juvenile was seated.

Multiple officers said they then unhandcuffed the juvenile and reapplied the handcuffs to his back.

Police said the juvenile refused medical attention after the incident.

He was transported to the Youth Bureau without incident and was released to his mother.

The juvenile is facing charges including larceny, possession with intent to sell, tampering with physical evidence and interfering with an officer and due in court on Wednesday.