A thief who thought the streets of Brooklyn were paved with gold learned a hard lesson yesterday.

The 27-year-old suspect attempted to steal a truckload of paving stones outside a housing- project building, but got struck by a squad car as he attempted to make a getaway, law-enforcement sources said.

The man had loaded up his truck with at least 30 loose bricks when police were called at about 5:30 a.m. to the Bayview Houses on East 102nd Street in Canarsie.

After a brief chase, he ran into a squad car and was sideswiped by the vehicle, police said.