Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

Video Credit: CEN

The is the moment an off-duty cop foils an attempted robbery and sends the armed thieves fleeing down the road when he pulls out his pistol at lightning speed.

The incident was filmed by a CCTV camera in the town of Merlo located in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires when the off-duty cop, identified by his initials A.C., was walking to a nearby bus stop at around 7.50am.

In the footage, the young man, who reportedly recently graduated from the police academy, is seen walking along the pavement in civilian clothing.

Suspecting something is wrong, he removes his service firearm from his pocket and points it at a masked man running towards him with his gun drawn.

The pair appears to shoot at each other at the same time, with the off-duty cop getting the better of his opponent.

The armed suspect falls to the ground before getting to his feet and running after a motorbike that fled the scene, reportedly being driven the gunman’s accomplice.

According to local media, A.C. injured the offender who still managed to flee.

Meanwhile, the off-duty cop went to a nearby police station to report the shooting. Local media report he was uninjured in the incident.

It is unclear if the local authorities are trying to track down the gunman and his accomplice.

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