NYPD officers shot, injured by Venezuelan illegal immigrant during traffic stop in Queens

The shooter had recently crossed the US border via Eagle Pass in Texas, a hotspot for illegal immigrant passage.

ADVERTISEMENT

The shooter had recently crossed the US border via Eagle Pass in Texas, a hotspot for illegal immigrant passage.

ADVERTISEMENT

NYPD attempted to pull over a man driving the wrong way down 89th Street in Queens on a motorized scooter only to have the man open fire on them. The man, identified by police as a 19-year-old Venezuelan national shot at two NYPD officers early on Monday. The man recently crossed the US border via Eagle Pass in Texas. 

Two NYPD officers tried to pull over teen immigrant Bernardo Castro Mata after he was seen driving the wrong way on 89th in the Elmhurst neighborhood at around 1:40 am, per the New York Post. After a pursuit, he shot at the officers, striking one in the leg and hitting the other in the chest. The officer was wearing a bullet proof vest and suffered onlt a graze wound. One of the officers returned fire and hit Mata in the ankle. He was taken to New York-Presbyterian in Queens to undergo medical treatment.   
   

According to law enforcement source that spoke to the outlet, Mata was staying at an immigration shelter at the former Courtyard Marriott Hotel near LaGuardia Airport and had crossed into the US through Eagle Pass, Texas, last year. Eagle Pass has been popular ground route for illegal immigrants crossing into the US. Illegal immigrants often cross the border, are apprehended by border control agents, and are then released into the US pending a court date.

The two cops who had been shot were in "good spirits" after the incident and in stable condition once they were treated at Elmhurst General Hospital. The Venezuelan illegal immigrant did not have history of convictions, however, he was under investigation for several "snatch and grab" robberies in Queens, with one of them including a woman was allegedly attacked and then had credit cards stolen from her, authorities told the Post.   

“This could have gone a very different way,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said in an early morning conference. Mayor Eric Adams also praised the officers at the conference, holding up the vest with the bullet hole that had been struck. 

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in to comment

Comments

Powered by The Post Millennial CMS™ Comments

Join and support independent free thinkers!

We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.

Support The Post Millennial

Remind me next month

To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 The Post Millennial, Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Personal Information