Venezuelan migrant shoots two NYPD cops after they tried pulling him over on illegal scooter

A teenage Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for allegedly shooting two NYPD officers while riding a scooter after they tried to stop him.

Police approached Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, as he drove the illegal vehicle the wrong way on a one-way road in Queens at night.

He allegedly responded by opening fire on the officers with an unlicensed weapon before fleeing on foot around 1:40 a.m., the NYPD said. One officer was hit in the leg, while the other was shot in his bulletproof vest.

Although Castro-Mata has not previously been arrested in New York City, police believe he is part of a group that uses mopeds and scooters to commit violent robberies.

An illegal Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for allegedly shooting two NYPD officers while riding a scooter after they tried to stop him, officials said. (Image: Castro-Mata being taken away from the scene of the shooting on a stretcher)

“We are investigating him for several other robbery patterns in the Queens area where he has other co-suspects,” NYPD Detective Joseph Kenny said during a briefing Monday morning.

In one incident, he is accused of assaulting a woman and stealing her credit card, which was later used at a smoke shop in Queens, according to NYPD records.

Castro-Mata entered the U.S. through Eagle Pass, Texas, last July, Kenny said. He was staying at a migrant shelter on Ditmars Boulevard, near the area where the shooting occurred.

The teen was also shot in the ankle during the altercation with officers at 89th Street and 23rd Avenue in Elmhurst, and underwent surgery Monday morning at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens.

NYPD said the unlicensed weapon he allegedly used was recovered at the scene.

Photos showed Castro-Mata looking shocked as he was taken away on a stretcher with his arms handcuffed behind his back.

Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, allegedly shot at officers with an illegal handgun (photo) in East Elmhurst just before 2 a.m. Monday

Police approached Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, as he drove the illegal vehicle the wrong way overnight on a one-way street in East Elmurst, Queens. (Image: Castro-Mata being taken away from the scene of the shooting on a stretcher)

In the photo: the discarded scooter at the crime scene after the shootout between Castro-Mata and two NYPD officers

Another image shows three officers carrying him away by his arms and legs as he grimaces. The discarded scooter can also be seen during a massacre at the scene.

The NYPD officers involved in the shooting were filmed leaving Elmhurst Hospital in daylight several hours later.

Spectators gave them a standing ovation as one was pushed out in a wheelchair before getting into a police van, while the other walked out and shook hands with colleagues.

New York Mayor Eric Adams condemned the shooting as “a senseless act of violence, a total disregard for life” and praised the officers for acting with “professionalism and focus.”

It comes after an explosive report revealed that 350,000 migrants who entered the US illegally had their immigration cases dismissed, allowing them to walk free without a judgment on the merits of their entry.

The NYPD officers involved in the shooting were filmed leaving Elmhurst Hospital in daylight several hours later. One was wheeled out (pictured) as colleagues gave them a standing ovation

Another image shows three officers carrying Castro-Mata away from the crime scene in East Elmhurts, Queens, by his arms and legs as he grimaces

Although Castro-Mata has not previously been arrested in New York City, police believe he is part of a group that uses scooters to commit violent robberies.

A leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adviser, Kerry Doyle, distributed a memo in 2022 directing prosecutors to dismiss cases for migrants who do not pose a threat to national security. The New York Post first reported this.

As a result, nearly 103,000 migrants had their cases dismissed that year, allowing them to enter the U.S. freely without a ruling from an immigration court judge on the merits of their asylum claims.

Later in 2023, that number of rejected cases shot up to 149,000.

So far in fiscal year 2024, 114,00 cases have ended without adjudication, according to the report.

Under Biden’s leadership, as many as 77 percent of migrants seeking asylum were allowed to stay in the US, the report said. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)a nonprofit organization that searches immigration court files.