(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A 15-year-old illegal alien was apprehended after being sought for the attempted murder of NYPD officers during a botched robbery in Times Square, where an innocent tourist was hit by a bullet.
Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, a native of Venezuela, was captured by U.S. Marshals in upstate New York on Friday, following the release of his photo by the NYPD, which described him as “armed and dangerous.”
We need the public’s help to identify and locate this individual before he hurts anyone else. He already shot an innocent person and tried to murder a NYC Police Officer Any info? @NYPDTips 1-877-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/0hY8OCo2tP
— NYPD Chief of Detectives (@NYPDDetectives) February 9, 2024
Law enforcement officials began searching for him after a security guard at a Times Square-based JD Sports store stopped him for allegedly shoplifting.
Harrowing footage depicted the seemingly violent individual pulling out a gun and firing it toward the guard. Although the bullet missed the guard, it struck a Brazilian tourist who happened to be in the vicinity.
Figueroa fled the store and allegedly fired his gun at officers attempting to apprehend him, ultimately escaping by boarding a train and disappearing into the subway system.
Arrest photos portrayed the teenager wearing a gold chain and ear piercings, apparently sobbing.
UNDER ARREST… this is not an asylum seeker. Neither are the other 8 million illegals that @JoeBiden has allowed into our country.
This POS shot at a female security guard and at responding NYPD officers.
Every major city in America is being ravaged by these animals! pic.twitter.com/SIZwAFG894
— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) February 9, 2024
This arrest followed the apprehension of some Venezuelan undocumented immigrants involved in the brutal beating of two NYPD officers in a separate incident.
During a press conference announcing Figueroa’s alleged crimes, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell emphasized the impact of illegal immigration on crime in New York City.
“There’s some Venezuelan groups, groups of migrants—I say some, not all—that are affecting crime on our city more so now than when they first got here,” Chell said.
“We spoke about it last week in transit crime. We saw moped robberies and statues. We see it pockets being picked in Times Square and on the subway. We see some groups going to stores; Macy’s, King’s Plaza… stealing property,” he said.
Similarly, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban rebuked the teenager in his remarks. “If you think you can threaten the lives of the very people who keep us safe, if you think you can put others at deadly risk and get away with it, then think again,” he said. “We will never stop pursuing you. We will find you, and we will arrest you.”
The shocking news comes as the city grapples with unprecedented flows of illegal immigration, attracted by the city’s generous taxpayer-funded hotel stays and sanctuary city policies.
Mayor Eric Adams revealed Thursday that over 170,000 illegal aliens currently reside in New York City (100,000 of them live in government-paid shelters).
The historically pro-immigration state has undergone a 180-degree shift in its stance, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul scolding illegal aliens not to enter the city and to seek refuge elsewhere.
