By Marlyn Montilla
03 Jun 2024, 11:10 AM EDT
A migrant from Venezuela opened fire on two police officers early Monday morning in Queens as they tried to arrest him while he was riding a motorized scooter, according to police and sources.
Officers attempted to stop the young man, identified as Bernardo Raúl Castro Mata, 19, after seeing him driving the wrong way down a street at 89th Street and 23rd Avenue in Elmhurst around 1:40 a.m., police said.
The subject immediately abandoned the moped and fled on foot for a few blocks, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
In the middle of the chase, the teenager allegedly pulled out an illegal weapon and shot the officers several times.
One of them was shot in the leg, while the other was shot in the front of his bulletproof vest.
At least one of the officers responded to the shooting and wounded the alleged criminal in the ankle.
The Venezuelan migrant has no criminal record in New York, but is suspected of some investigations, robbery and robbery in Queens, including one in which a woman was allegedly attacked and her credit cards stolen, authorities explained.
Castro Mata has lived in the migrant shelter at the Courtyard Marriott hotel near LaGuardia Airport, said New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban.
So far it is not clear how long he has been in New York City, but police sources indicated that the individual entered the United States through Eagle Pass, Texas, sometime in 2023.
He was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens to undergo surgery for the gunshot wound, the New York Post reported.
Both injured officers were in “good spirits” and were in stable condition after being treated at Elmhurst General Hospital, Caban said.
“This could have been different,” the police station said in a press conference early in the morning.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams praised the two police officers by showing the hole in the bullet vest of one of the two officers.
“Because of this vest, a young police officer is going home,” Adams said.
“A senseless act of violence. Total disregard for life,” added the Democratic mayor when addressing the incident.
“Our officers responded with a level of discipline, a level of focus and a level of professionalism. Today we thank God.”
The two NYPD police officers were assigned to the 115th Precinct’s public safety unit. One of them has worked on the force for five years, while his partner joined the police ranks two and a half years ago.
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