BRAMPTON

Three men are in custody and a fourth suspect could still be on the loose after a gunman opened fire on a cop as he responded to a shooting call in Brampton Friday night.

Peel Regional Police say the terrifying ordeal unfolded as the officer pulled up to a home on Stokes Rd., north of Chinguacousy Rd. and Steeles Ave. W., around 10:20 p.m.

“He was the first officer to arrive at the scene and before he could get out of his cruiser he was fired upon,” Const. Thomas Ruttan said Saturday.

Several bullets struck the cruiser and one bullet hit the officer, who had no time to return fire, Ruttan said.

He said the badly injured officer sped off up the street to get to safety, rounding a corner, mounting a curb and taking out a stop sign before his cruiser came to rest.

The officer, whose name wasn’t released, was hit in his upper body and was rushed to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Ruttan said other cops arrived on the scene within moments and found another man suffering from a gunshot wound.

The circumstances of the man’s shooting weren’t immediately known.

Many residents of the attached homes along Stokes Rd. heard the gunfire.

“It was four shots,” said Anna, who didn’t give her last name.

Swaranjit Gill said her 19-year-old daughter arrived home from work within moments of the shooting and saw a man out front bleeding from a wound to his left side.

“The guy was saying, ‘Help, help, please help,’” she said, recalling what her daughter witnessed.

The second shooting victim, whose name and age weren’t released, was airlifted to a Toronto trauma centre in critical condition.

Ruttan said he’s since been stabilized.

With help from the K-9 Unit and the York Regional Police helicopter, Ruttan said officers conducted a “comprehensive” search of the neighbourhood.

“Two males were taken into custody in the area relatively quickly,” he said, adding a third man was arrested Saturday morning after officers found him hiding in a parked car.

Police didn’t immediately release the identities of the three suspects or reveal what charges they could face.

Heavily armed tactical officers scoured the neighbourhood Saturday — searching parked cars, garages, backyards and even garbage cans — looking for the gun and a potential fourth suspect.

Ruttan said some witnesses reported seeing three to four men, so cops weren’t taking any chances.

“If area residents see anyone suspicious they should not approach,” he said. “Call 911 immediately.”

Anyone with information should call investigators at 905-453-2121, ext. 223, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

chris.doucette@sunmedia.ca