Police stop brawl in Harlem hospital where shooting victim was being treated

HARLEM - Harlem Hospital police say they confiscated a fully loaded gun from a group of five men who chased the brother of a shooting victim inside the lobby.

That 16-year old male victim was recovering in the hospital after being shot Thursday afternoon, on East 140th Street and Alexander Avenue in the Bronx.

Hospital police union director Dwayne Montgomery said the group of men showed up at the hospital, spotted the victim’s brother outside on the sidewalk, chased him inside and then started pummeling him.

EARLIER: 16-year-old shot in Bronx near playground, police say

Officers quickly broke up the brawl, and soon realized how much worse it could have been.

"They searched the bag of one of the individuals that was placed under arrest. They recovered a firearm fully loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition. Hospital police did an exceptional job, considering they are unarmed," said Montgomery.

Montgomery also said the NYPD – who was already there on site with the shooting victim – was able to take one of the men from the group into custody.

However, NYPD has not been able to confirm if they have arrested anyone else in this fight or in relation to the Bronx shooting.

It’s been a violent week in the city in general, with three shootings involving teens just this week in Upper Manhattan.

"Even in my 30 years I have never seen it to the point where these kids were going after each other the way they are."

In the meantime, the NYPD says the investigation into Thursday's Bronx shooting is still open.