DRUG COP IS RUN DOWN BY CRACK FIEND

A heroic cop who spends her nights busting drug dealers and her days
spoiling her grandkids with ice cream was run down by a suspect early
yesterday when an undercover buy-and-bust operation went wrong, cops said.

Detective Lydia Lopez, 50, spotted a drug dealer selling crack to a driver
at a street corner in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn about 2 a.m., cops said.

But as the 12-year undercover vet and members of the Brooklyn North
narcotics unit circled the car, the driver hit the gas, smashed into Lopez,
and fled.

Lopez, who's been on the force for 18 years, was rushed to Bellevue
Hospital in Manhattan, where she underwent surgery for a broken hip and leg.

The hit-and-run shocked her close-knit family, and her husband, Rene, a
retired correction officer, kept a daylong vigil.

The couple has two sons, Rene Jr., and Christopher, a daughter, Lisette,
and three grandchildren, ages 4 to 9.

Lopez's son-in-law, Frank Irizarry, 28, told The Post she showered gifts on
her grandkids and picked up the youngest boy from school every day.

"Talk about spoiling the kids," he said. "She'd buy them ice cream every
day. She's a wonderful grandmother. She makes sure she sees them every day."

He said the family was "pretty shaken up" after being told of the
hit-and-run about 3 a.m.

"I went to work, but I couldn't stop thinking about her, so I had to come
home," said Irizarry.

Rene Jr. his voice cracking and his eyes moist, told reporters at Bellevue
his mother is a tough woman.

"She's a very strong woman - at her age, to be doing what she's doing . . .
God bless her," he said. "It's everyone's worst nightmare."

His sister, Lisette, asked New Yorkers to say a prayer for a "speedy
recovery for our mother."

The doctor who operated on the heroic cop described her injuries as "bad,"
but added the prognosis is good. She'll likely be off the job for at least
a year, doctors said.

Cops caught the alleged dealer, who was working on the corner of Himrod
Street and Irving Avenue, but were unable to stop the driver who hit Lopez
before he sped off.

The car, which was stolen, was later found, burned, in Maspeth, Queens.