Brazen shoplifting suspect shoots NYC tourist, takes aim at cops on busy Midtown street in chaotic scene
A tourist was shot in the leg at a retail store in Times Square on Thursday night by a young shoplifting suspect who then opened fire at an NYPD cop on a busy Midtown street, police said.
The mayhem unfolded at JD Sports at West 42nd Street and Broadway around 7:15 p.m. after a security guard confronted a trio of male suspects — including a teen who lives at a nearby migrant shelter — to stop them from stealing, according to cops and sources.
The female security guard yanked a bag of stolen merchandise away from one of them — who was described by cops as 15 to 20 years old and wearing all white.
The guard was approaching a second in the group when the suspect wearing all white pulled out a gun and fired it in her direction, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a press conference.
The bullet missed the security guard but struck a 37-year-old Brazilian woman who was in the store, police said.
According to a 911 call, the woman was hit just above her left knee and barricaded herself inside a storage room.
The security guard rushed to the tourist’s aid, sources said, and she was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
Two of the suspects — including the gunman — bolted from the store and a third stayed behind, sources said.
Cops patrolling the area near West 46th Street and Seventh Avenue gave chase and quickly captured one of them, a 15-year-old boy who resides at the nearby Stewart Hotel, which was turned into a migrant shelter, sources said.
Here's the latest on the Times Square shooting
- NYPD has identified Jesus Lejenadro Rivas-Figueroa, 15, as the suspect connected to the Thursday night shooting, Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
- Prosecutors asked the judge to send the teen to jail without bail because “he has significant ties out of the United States” and has only been here “for a short time.”
- The teen, who did not enter a plea, was charged as an adult, but will be sent to a juvenile facility because of his age, officials said.
- A tourist was shot in the leg at a retail store in Times Square on Thursday night by a shoplifter. The shoplifter then opened fire at an NYPD officer in Midtown, according to police.
- A security guard at JD Sports at West 42 Street and Broadway approached a group of young males to stop them from stealing when one pulled out a gun, fired it in her direction, and missed, hitting the nearby tourist.
- Sources said Friday that the 15-year-old and a third person were taken into custody and later released.
The gunman ran down West 47th Street toward Sixth Avenue and fired off two shots at a pursuing officer, according to Chell. The cop was not hit and did not return fire.
“Our officer draws his weapon but he cannot fire — too many people around, too many people ducking,” Chell said.
The shooter then ducked into the subway on West 46th Street and Sixth Avenue, where he ditched his white jacket and made his escape. He is still on the loose.
“At this point, we have numerous resources scouring this area looking for that male,” Chell said.
“He shot at our cops not once but twice. He also shot an innocent female one time in the leg. That’s where we stand right now.”
The third suspect is unaccounted for, according to cops.
The brazen armed robbery comes just two days after three migrants allegedly tried to use a woman’s stolen credit card at the same Midtown clothing store.
Jaie Aluisa, 20, and Christian Trianon, 18, allegedly lifted the woman’s wallet from her handbag after bumping into her on the street, according to a criminal complaint.
They then allegedly handed the packed wallet off to 28-year-old Joselyn Gomez Tuasa before all three tried to use the card at two different Midtown stores, including JD Sports.
They were turned away from the store after failing to provide identification that matched the stolen cards, prosecutors said.
They were able, however, to make two successful transactions at the nearby Grand Slam souvenir shop.
The three — all from Ecuador — were charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and jostling and were released from custody Thursday.
The two who allegedly reached into their victim’s bag live in Plainfield, New Jersey, while Gomez is staying at the Row Hotel in Times Square, which is also being used as a migrant shelter.
