The New York Police Department nabbed a 15-year-old immigrant on Friday who was deemed “armed and dangerous” because he was suspected of firing shots at a police officer near Times Square and injuring a tourist.
According to sources in law enforcement who spoke with CBS New York on Friday afternoon, they’ve nabbed 15-year-old Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa. He’s from Venezuela and has only been in New York City for less than six months. They picked him up in Yonkers. Stay tuned for more info; they’re planning to spill the beans at a press conference scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Chief John Chel stated to reporters on Friday, before Rivas-Figueroa’s arrest, that the teenager had arrived in the city in September and was staying at a shelter for migrants on West 70th Street. The chief mentioned suspicions regarding the teenager’s involvement in an armed robbery in the Bronx on January 27 and another shooting incident in Midtown.
Speaking through The New York Post, Chel referenced Rivas-Figueroa, saying, “He didn’t hesitate to open fire on a crowd in a store… and didn’t just shoot at police once but fired twice at them. We won’t tolerate this.”