A man with an extensive criminal record was arrested Sunday after his gun discharged and shot a police officer in Queens.

Officer Rodney Lewis, 40, seen above, was shot under his left arm on Menahan Street in Ridgewood and was expected to make a full recovery.

The suspect, 33-year-old Edwin Santana, was arrested by Lewis and his partner, Officer Mark Bublin, around 5 a.m.

The police officers were looking for a bald man allegedly involved in an armed domestic dispute with his roommate over money.

Santana, who fit the description, was frisked and the officers found an antique, loaded .32-caliber revolver in his pants' waistband.

"They went to stop him, he continued to move," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "They grabbed him, they tussled with him. They took the weapon out of his waistband. It fell to the ground and a round went off, striking Officer Lewis."

The bullet hit the skin of left side of Lewis's chest that his bulletproof vest did not cover. Police say the bullet broke the skin but did not penetrate the chest cavity.

"This weapon may be a good 60 to 70 years old, but it still fires. And guns have a very, very long shelf life," said Kelly.

Police say Santana was a convicted felon with an "extensive" criminal record, including manslaughter charge that dates back to 1991. They also say Santana was recently released from prison and is currently wanted on a parole violation. Therefore, he should not have been carrying a firearm.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the incident is proof there is more work to be done to make sure people do not have illegal access to handguns.

"Guns kill people and we have to get guns off the streets, particularly out of the hands of criminals where there is a federal law that says they can't have guns," said the mayor. "And that's what we're trying to do."

Bloomberg visited Lewis, a four-and-a-half-year NYPD veteran, in the hospital and found the police officer to be eager to get back to work.

"I joked with him that we have a budget crisis and we need him back on the job and he assured me that he wanted to get back," said the mayor.

The Queens district attorney said his office plans to rigorously prosecute the case. As of Saturday night, Santana was awaiting charges.