A Brazilian tourist, according to the New York Post, was shot in the leg in a store at Times Square, New York, on Thursday night (8) by a young suspect of theft who, armed, opened fire at a police officer.
The incident occurred at JD Sports on West 42nd Street with Broadway around 7:15 PM after a security guard confronted a trio of male suspects – including a teenager living in a nearby immigrant shelter – to prevent them from stealing, according to police.
The store security pulled a bag with stolen merchandise from one of them – described by police as a young man between 15 and 20 years old and dressed all in white.
The security guard was approaching a second suspect when the young man dressed all in white pulled out a gun and fired in his direction, said NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell at a press conference.
The bullet missed the security guard but hit a 37-year-old Brazilian woman who was in the store, police said. The woman was struck just above her left knee. She was immediately assisted and taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
Two of the suspects – including the shooter – fled the store and a third was left behind, sources said.
Police patrolling the area near West 46th Street and Seventh Avenue chased the youths and quickly captured one of them, a 15-year-old boy who lives at the neighboring Stewart Hotel, which has been turned into a shelter for immigrants, sources said.
The shooter ran down West 47th Street towards Sixth Avenue and fired two shots at a police officer who was pursuing him. The officer was not hit and did not return fire because there were many people around.
The shooter then entered the subway at West 46th Street with Sixth Avenue, where he discarded the white jacket and fled. As of Friday morning (9), he was still at large and being sought.
The third suspect is missing, according to police.
The armed robbery attempt comes just two days after three individuals identified as immigrants from Ecuador allegedly tried to use a stolen credit card from a woman at a Times Square store.
Jaie Aluisa, 20, and Christian Trianon, 18, allegedly stole the woman’s wallet after bumping into her on the street, according to the official complaint. They then allegedly handed the wallet to Joselyn Gomez Tuasa, 28, and the three attempted to use the card at two different stores in Midtown, including JD Sports.
They were removed from the store after failing to provide identification that matched the stolen cards, prosecutors said.
However, they managed to make two successful transactions at the nearby Grand Slam souvenir shop.
The three – all from Ecuador – were charged with theft, criminal possession of stolen property, and pushing and were released from custody on Thursday (8).
The two who allegedly stole the victim’s wallet live in Plainfield, New Jersey, while Gomez is staying at the Row Hotel in Times Square, which is being used as a shelter for newly arrived immigrants.
Source: The New York Post