Police keep watch outside the Marriott Marquis in Times Square following a shooting. (Getty Images)more pics »An undercover police officer fatally shot a street scammer in New York's Times Square on Thursday morning, but it didn't slow down Christmas shoppers and tourists filling the busy shopping district. Police said the unidentified 25-year-old who was shot was carrying a loaded Mac-10 semi-automatic machine pistol.

Police arrived in force after the shooting. (NYTimes.com)
Police said that the alleged scam artist and his brother would walk up to a tourist, ask his or her name, write it on a CD and demand $10 for the disc. When approached by a plain clothes police officer who identified himself and asked to see the duo's street vendor tax stamp, police say one of the men ran away. The officer ran after him and told him to stop, but instead he drew a gun and fired two rounds at the officer, who fired four shots and brought down the alleged scammer.

This all happened in the Marriott Marquis theater and hotel's driveway. Police soon arrived in large numbers to secure and document the scene, closing off all of Broadway from 45th to 46th avenues. One visitor from New Orleans

The New York Times spoke with at least two tourists who were completely unphased by the shooting. One woman from Ireland said that it was one of the most exciting moments on her trip to New York. Her other highlights included recovering her luggage from the Port Authority and seeing the musical Wicked. Another woman from Australia noted that it was just like the movies.

“It’s my first day in New York, so it makes very real what you see in the movies,” said 42-year-old Suzanne Davis, who stopped to videotape the scene.

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