A 37-year-old man wielding a loaded gun was busted by cops yesterday when he allegedly stole a bottle of soda from the Hudson Newsstand at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Port Authority cops say that Bronx resident Vincent Pierce stole the single soda from the stand at around 11 a.m. yesterday morning, prompting the store's staff to set off the alarm. Authorities say two plainclothes officers spotted Pierce holding the soda; they chased him briefly, but ultimately nabbed him.

Officers say that Pierce had a loaded 45 caliber pistol in his possession, along with a knife with a pistol handle. "The fact that this guy was armed with a loaded pistol and was willing to steal a $1 soda, you have no way of knowing what his next move is,” a law-enforcement source told the Post. “Especially in a busy place like the Port Authority bus station . . . It could have been disastrous."

Pierce has been slapped with resisting arrest and weapons possession charges. He was not criminally charged for stealing the soda.