19-year-old migrant shoots two police officers in the middle of a chase
A 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant shot two police officers in Queens while he fled after being stopped for driving the wrong way
Early Monday morning, two New York police officers were injured after being shot by a 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant during a chase in Queens. The incident occurred when officers attempted to stop the young man, identified as Bernardo Castro Mata, who was driving a motorized scooter in the wrong direction on 89th Street and 23rd Avenue in Elmhurst.
According to police reports, the suspect abandoned the moped and fled on foot for several blocks. During the chase, he pulled out an illegal gun and fired several shots at the officers. Agent Christopher Abreu, 26, was wounded in the leg, while his partner, Richard Yarusso, also 26, was hit in the front of his bulletproof vest. One of the officers returned fire, striking the suspect in the ankle.
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, highlighted that Yarusso, despite having been shot, cared more about his injured colleague and applied a tourniquet to her leg to stop the bleeding. Both police officers were treated at Elmhurst General Hospital and are in stable condition and in good spirits.
The young man, with no criminal record in New York but linked to several robbery investigations in Queens, was transferred to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens to undergo surgery. It was revealed that he had entered the United States through Eagle Pass, Texas, in July of last year, and was living in a migrant shelter at the former Courtyard Marriott hotel near LaGuardia Airport.
New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban said the situation could have been much worse and praised the officers' actions. Mayor Eric Adams was also grateful that thanks to the bulletproof vest, one of the young police officers was able to return home.
“A senseless act of violence. Total disregard for life,” the mayor commented, adding that the officers responded with discipline, concentration and professionalism. Both agents, who belong to the 115th district public security unit, were greeted with applause and an honor guard upon being discharged from the hospital.