NYPD: Two Officers Shot by Illegal Immigrant from Venezuela

Two police officers were shot Monday morning by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who was driving a scooter, according to NYPD officials.

FOX News reported the incident occurred “at the intersection of 89th Street and 23rd Avenue,” following an attempted traffic stop around 1:40 a.m.

The attempted stop resulted in the illegal jumping off his scooter and fleeing, then shooting at the officers as they gave chase.

FOX 5 New York noted  “the officers were working to address a robbery pattern in the area involving mopeds and scooters.”

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said the suspect caught the officers’ attention by allegedly driving the wrong way “on 82nd Street near 23rd Avenue.”

The officers returned fire once the illegal shot at them, wounding him in the ankle.

Both the officers were treated for their gunshot wounds and released from the hospital. One of the officers was shot in his bullet proof vest and the second was shot in his leg.

PIX11 identified the illegal immigrant as 19-year-old Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, noting he crossed into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, in July of 2023.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.