Shoplifters open fire on security guard in New York City’s busy Times Square hitting an innocent bystander in the leg and sending tourists fleeing for cover
A tourist was shot in the leg in Times Square when a shoplifter opened fire on a security guard and fled while firing at police.
Security stopped the gunman and two other teenagers as they left the JD Sports Store at West 42nd Street and Broadway, New York City, around 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
The security guard asked for their receipts and one of the group walked out of the store empty-handed, but the other two stayed
She grabbed a shopping bag containing a jacket they were allegedly trying to steal and approached the other teen.
Shoppers stand at the JD Sports Store in Times Square in the wake of a Brazilian tourist shot in the store by shoplifters
Security stopped the gunman and two other teens as they left the store, taking a shopping bag containing a stolen jacket. One of them shot at her and hit a woman who was shopping inside
Officers were shot at while chasing them, but the shooter missed police and there were no other reported injuries
Suddenly the boy whose coat she took over pulled a gun from his shoulder bag and shot her.
He missed and struck a 37-year-old Brazilian tourist in the leg, just above the knee, as she was shopping in the store with a friend.
The tourist limped to a storage room and barricaded herself inside, while the security guard left the teens and rushed to her aid.
One of the shoplifting trio stayed behind while the other two, including the one who left the store before the shooting, fled.
Officers were shot at as they chased them, but the shooter missed police and there were no other reported injuries.
NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell said he escaped to the 49th Street subway station as CCTV captured him running along the tracks, then left the subway somewhere else.
“Our officer draws his gun, but he can’t shoot – there are too many people around, too many people ducking,” he said.
Shocked tourists and passersby stand in Times Square near the scene of the shooting
Heavily armed police patrol Times Square as the gunman remains at large
Investigators mark a tool believed to have been dropped by the teens as they fled
The pair left a trail of clothing on West 48th Street and Sixth Avenue, West 51st Street and Sixth Avenue during the flight.
Another teenager, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested and police said he told them he was staying at the nearby Stewart Hotel, which is used as a migrant shelter.
Witnesses tied the victim’s shirt around her leg as a makeshift tourniquet as staff and other customers huddled in the back room of the store.
The tourist was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition and a police officer who became breathless while chasing the suspects was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian.
Police said the alleged shooter was last seen wearing a white baseball hat, white jacket and white pants.
“Right now we have numerous resources scouring this area looking for that male,” Chell said.
“He shot our officers not once but twice. He also shot an innocent woman once in the leg. That’s where we are now.’
Police officers were attacked as they tried to disperse a disorderly group in front of 220 West 42 Street on January 27 around 8:30 p.m.
JHoan Boada is released from Manhattan Criminal Court after being charged with beating two cops in Times Square with a group of others
The New York monument has been the site of other ugly scenes in recent months.
Police officers were attacked as they tried to disperse a disorderly group in front of 220 West 42 Street on January 27 around 8:30 p.m.
According to the NYPD, the migrants then began attacking them, kicking their heads and bodies as the two officers attempted to pin one of the men down and remove his sweatshirt.
The migrants then ran away, leaving the police officers on the ground as they fled east on 42nd Street toward Seventh Avenue.
Darwin Andres Gomez Izquiel, 19, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, Yorman Reveron, 24, Jhoan Boada, 22, and Yohenry Brito, 24, were all later arrested.
They were charged with assault on a police officer, gang assault, obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, but were released without bail.
The moment a migrant on a moped dragged a woman down a New York City street to steal her phone was captured in horrific footage shared by police
The same group has also been linked to a migrant crime in which more than 60 women were targeted and their phones stolen. During one of the thefts, a woman was dragged by a moped while suspects took her phone.
Seven migrants were arrested by the NYPD after allegedly committing a crime in which they stole wallets and phones from at least 62 women across the five boroughs.
Police arrested at least seven migrants, all believed to be from Venezuela, at a safe house in the Bronx after executing a search warrant.
Police believe the gang is led by Venezuelan leader Victor Parra, 30. He had a tech hack into the phones, use the devices to make fraudulent purchases and empty the victim’s bank accounts before sending them to Colombia.