A Manhattan man was arrested for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer in a dramatic struggle sparked after he was confronted for allegedly stealing perfume from a car overnight on Long Island, police said.

Two off-duty officers spotted the suspect, Royal Hooks, 27, around 1:05 a.m. Thursday getting into a parked car in a driveway of a suburban Lindenhurst neighborhood, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

The two men approached Hooks, on 40th Street, near Buffalo Avenue, but he immediately ran off, cops said.

They followed Hooks, chasing after him for several hundred yards — and when they caught up to him, he allegedly stabbed one of the officers in the leg during the struggle, according to police. 3

The two off-duty cops ultimately got the upper hand, holding Hooks do

See Full Page