Man fires gun to scare away homeless man allegedly trying to rob woman in subway — police seek to arrest the vigilante

The New York Police Department says officers are seeking to identify and arrest a man who fired a gun in the subway in order to scare off a homeless man who was allegedly trying to rob a woman.

Police said they were called to the incident at the Midtown subway station just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday night.

The homeless panhandler was holding open an emergency gate when he threatened to steal a woman's purse unless she handed over her money.

An armed man overheard the interaction and fired a couple of warning shots while telling the man, "Leave her alone."

The armed man fled, and police said they are looking to arrest him for having a gun on the subway.

Police said they responded within seconds of the report of gunfire in the subway. They swarmed the area and were able to arrest the would-be robber. No injuries were reported from the incident.

The homeless panhandler was identified as 40-year-old Matthew Roesch and charged with attempted robbery.

"I'm here to tell New Yorkers that this kind of misbehavior will not be tolerated, we're going to work with the NYPD to bring these two perpetrators to justice," said NYC Transit President Richard Davey.

Police said he was a man in his forties weighting about 230 lbs and with a height of about 5 feet, 9 inches.

"Weapons shouldn't be on the streets of New York, they are, and if that occurs, what happens on the streets has come down to our subways," Davey added. "We need to get a handle on the gun issue certainly in the city."

Police are seeking information from the public to identify the man who saved the woman from a homeless panhandler.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

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