Venezuelan migrant shoots two NYPD cops after they tried pulling him over on illegal scooter
A teenage Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for allegedly shooting two NYPD officers while riding a scooter after they tried to stop him.
Police approached Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, as he drove the illegal vehicle the wrong way on a one-way road in Queens at night.
He reportedly responded by opening fire on the officers with an unlicensed weapon before fleeing on foot just before 2 a.m., NYPD said. One officer was hit in the leg, while the other was shot in his bulletproof vest.
Although Castro-Mata has not previously been arrested in New York CityPolice believe he is part of a group that uses scooters to commit violent robberies.
Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, was arrested for allegedly driving an illegal scooter the wrong way on a one-way road in Queens at night
An illegal Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for allegedly shooting two NYPD officers while riding a scooter after they tried to stop him, officials said. (Image: Castro-Mata being taken away from the scene of the shooting on a stretcher)
“We are investigating him for several other robbery patterns in the Queens area where he has other co-suspects,” NYPD Detective Joseph Kenny said during a briefing Monday morning.
In one incident, he is accused of assaulting a woman and stealing her credit card, which was later used at a smoke shop in Queens, according to NYPD records.
Castro-Mata entered the U.S. through Eagle Pass, Texas, last July, Kenny said. He was staying at a migrant shelter on Ditmars Boulevard, near the area where the shooting occurred.
The teen was also shot in the ankle during the altercation with officers at 89th Street and 23rd Avenue in Elmhurst, and underwent surgery Monday morning at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens.
NYPD said the unlicensed weapon he allegedly used was recovered at the scene.
Photos showed Castro-Mata looking shocked as he was taken away on a stretcher with his arms handcuffed behind his back.
Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, allegedly shot at officers with an illegal handgun (photo) in East Elmhurst just before 2 a.m. Monday
Police approached Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, as he drove the illegal vehicle the wrong way overnight on a one-way street in East Elmurst, Queens. (Image: Castro-Mata being taken away from the scene of the shooting on a stretcher)
In the photo: the discarded scooter at the crime scene after the shootout between Castro-Mata and two NYPD officers
Another image shows three officers carrying him away by his arms and legs as he grimaces. The discarded scooter can also be seen during a massacre at the scene.
The NYPD officers involved in the shooting were filmed leaving Elmhurst Hospital in daylight several hours later.
Spectators gave them a standing ovation as one was pushed out in a wheelchair before getting into a police van, while the other walked out and shook hands with colleagues.
It comes after one bomb report indicated that 350,000 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally have had their immigration cases dismissed, allowing them to walk free without adjudication on the merits of their entry.
A leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adviser, Kerry Doyle, distributed a memo in 2022 directing prosecutors to dismiss cases for migrants who do not pose a threat to national security. The New York Post first reported this.
Another image shows three officers carrying Castro-Mata away from the crime scene in East Elmhurts, Queens, by his arms and legs as he grimaces
Although Castro-Mata has not previously been arrested in New York City, police believe he is part of a group that uses scooters to commit violent robberies.
As a result, nearly 103,000 migrants had their cases dismissed that year, allowing them to enter the U.S. freely without a ruling from an immigration court judge on the merits of their asylum claims.
Later in 2023, that number of rejected cases shot up to 149,000.
So far in fiscal year 2024, 114,00 cases have ended without adjudication, according to the report.
Under Biden’s leadership, as many as 77 percent of migrants seeking asylum were allowed to stay in the US, the report said. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)a nonprofit organization that searches immigration court files.
