An East Islip man is accused of pulling a knife on an off-duty officer and fleeing a crash scene.

Police say the off-duty NYPD officer had stopped to help the victims of a two-car crash near Exit 41 on the Southern State Parkway in Bay Shore around 10:40 p.m. Sunday. That's when police say Sean Burke, who was one of the drivers, tried to flee the crash scene.

The off-duty officer says he chased Burke into a yard on Joan Road, and Burke pulled a knife on him.

The officer fired his gun, but did not hit Burke.

Burke was apprehended several hours later in West Islip.

Burke's attorney claims that his client never brandished the knife. "The detective who [fired the] shot admits in his written statement that the knife was never used to threaten him. The knife was on the belt in the pocket or something," says attorney Harry Tilis.

But in the official statement made by NYPD Officer Christopher Williams, he says, "The guy reached for the knife with his right hand and started to pull it from his pocket. I thought he was going to kill me."

Burke, 40, is being charged with menacing a police officer and criminal possession of a controlled substance, although a police release on the incident did not identify which substance Burke allegedly had on him.

According to court records, Burke also pleaded guilty to a 2009 charge of possession of stolen property.