Cops stop strangler – & find gun

A PAIR OF quick-acting cops stopped a man from strangling a rival and wound up seizing a loaded gun in the Bronx, officials said Wednesday.

NYPD Officers James Garcia and Marc O’Connor responded to a building on Grant Ave. near E. 167th St. in Claremont Village just after 8 p.m. Tuesday after a 911 caller reported hearing gunfire.

They spotted Frank Diaz, 22, choking a 21-year-old man, authorities said. After a struggle with Diaz, they managed to cuff him.

His victim refused medical treatment and was taken into custody. Diaz was arrested and taken to Lincoln Hospital for observation.

Meanwhile, Garcia and O’Connor went to the building’s fifth floor, where the shots were heard, and found a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun in the hallway.

The gun had one round in the chamber and three in the magazine. Security video showed Diaz firing the gun twice, cops said.

Detectives suspect that Diaz was aiming for an older man and then choked the 21-year-old when he tried to intervene.

Diaz is charged with assault on a cop, gun possession, strangulation and other charges.