(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) An illegal alien shot two NYPD officers during a chaotic chase on Monday, marking another violent crime committed by an individual unauthorized to reside in the U.S. and somehow allowed in by the Biden administration, reported the New York Post.
Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, entered the U.S. in 2023 through Eagle Pass, Texas, and is now facing charges related to moped robberies, according to NYPD Det. Joseph Kenny.
“We’re looking at him for several other robbery patterns in the Queens area where he does have other co-defendants,” Kenny told reporters during a press conference on Monday.
The shooting occurred as officers pursued Castro-Mata, who was fleeing on a motorized scooter. He was shot during the chase and underwent ankle surgery.
According to the New York Post, the two officers were investigating a robbery pattern in Queens, New York, when they spotted Castro-Mata, prompting a chase.
Castro-Mata then abandoned the moped and fled on foot.
One of the officers, Richard Yarusso, chased and tackled Castro-Mata to the ground. During the struggle, Castro-Mata pulled out a pistol, which officers said was bought illegally.
As they fought, the gun discharged, striking Yarusso in his bulletproof vest.
Castro-Mata then shot Yarusso’s partner, Christopher Abreu, in the leg.
“We’re getting shot at by kids now,” one of the officers radioed in, according to a source who spoke to the New York Post.
Video footage showed other officers paying their respects as one of the injured officers was discharged from the hospital.
“Incredibly grateful to see these two hero partners both heading home this morning to the cheers of their @NYPD115Pct,” wrote the NYC PBA on Twitter.
“Brothers and sisters, just hours after being shot. Thank you Elmhurst Hospital’s nurses, doctors and staff for putting our brothers on the road to recovery,” they added.
Incredibly grateful to see these two hero partners both heading home this morning to the cheers of their @NYPD115Pct brothers and sisters, just hours after being shot. Thank you Elmhurst Hospital’s nurses, doctors and staff for putting our brothers on the road to recovery. pic.twitter.com/nfwChByO4T
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) June 3, 2024
The shootings come as NYC grapples with high-profile criminal cases involving illegal aliens.
In February 2024, 15-year-old Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa was arrested for a shooting at a Times Square clothing store that injured a Brazilian tourist.
Rivas-Figueroa, a Venezuelan national residing in the country illegally, shot at officers who chased him down an escalator in a subway station.
Just weeks prior, a gang of illegal immigrants, mostly from Venezuela, brutally beat two NYPD officers responding to disruption complaints in Times Square.
Some of the immigrants were caught on viral video flipping off reporters outside a police precinct.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg received widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans for failing to seek bail for the illegal aliens.
In a separate case, an illegal immigrant told detectives that the gang committing crimes was far larger than expected.
In one of the most horrific crimes of 2024, José Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, brutally murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia.
Ibarra had arrived in the U.S. under the Biden administration in September 2022 and made his way to New York City, where he was arrested for driving a moped with a minor.
Despite the arrest, the NYPD did not comply with a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, allowing him to travel to Georgia—where he ultimately carried out Riley’s murder, authorities allege.
