NYPD cops fear the botched Times Square robbery in which a migrant teenager allegedly opened fire on a tourist and a police officer could be the start of a troubling trend.
Police sources were concerned over the presence — and use — of a gun in what started out as an attempted shoplifting incident by three teenagers from JD Sports on West 42nd Street and Broadway Thursday night.
“The armed shoplifting you hope is an aberration. But could be part of something bigger. That concerns us,” a senior law enforcement source said Friday, calling the burst of gun violence a “very disconcerting” sign.
While cops have previously investigated migrant shoplifting or robbery crews — including a moped gang busted in a cellphone-stealing scheme and a duo accused of snatching jewelry from unsuspecting New Yorkers — sources worried the use of firearms will become more commonplace.
“I hope this is an aberration,” one Manhattan cop said of Thursday’s incident, in which a 15-year-old Venezuelan boy, identified by the NYPD as Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, is suspected of trying to shoplift from the sports-fashion retail store with two other teens, and then pulling a .45 caliber handgun when a security guard stopped him.
”If [criminals] start getting their hands on guns, the city will be in a lot of trouble this summer,” the officer added.
A 37-year-old Brazilian woman who was in the store was shot in the leg, and had been treated at a hospital and released by Friday. The teen then allegedly fired at cops as they chased after him, but no officers were hit, police said.
It was not immediately clear how Rivas-Figueroa – who arrived in New York in September – allegedly got the firearm.
“That’s the question we are asking ourselves,” one cop said in Times Square Friday. “It’s pretty alarming!”
Another Manhattan cop pointed to what could potentially be a troubling pattern following the beatdown of two cops by a group of migrants last week.
“Cops will have to be even more careful,” the officer noted. “In less than a week we saw a group beat up cops in one incident and in another they fired shots at cops.”
Here’s the latest on the Times Square shooting
- 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.
- NYPD has identified Jesus Lejenadro Rivas-Figueroa, 15, as a person of interest in connection to the Thursday night shooting, Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
- The NYPD has offered a $10,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the suspect.
- 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 a 15-year-old and a third person were taken into custody and later released.
- Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, a 15-year-old Venezuelan teen migrant identified as the shooting suspect by NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, was taken into custody around 3:30 p.m. Friday at a home in Yonkers.
The influx of asylum-seekers into the Big Apple adds additional pressure to ongoing crime woes, a Brooklyn cop added.
“If a small percentage [of migrants] get their hands on guns, it will be an insurmountable problem,” the officer said.
One Queens officer, however, said a possible increase of guns appearing in such crimes “shouldn’t be a big surprise.”
“Getting guns would be a natural progression for criminals,” the cop said. “They will have to think about putting metal detectors in these hotels [where migrants are staying].”
Another top law enforcement source added: “Is it the next stage in an evolution [of crime]? We don’t know.”
The source noted a bulletin was sent out this week with warnings about the violent Tren de Aragua Venezuelan gang’s growing presence in parts of the United States.
“You are seeing gang adjacent hierarchical structures take place,” the source said about the situation at city migrant shelters.
Meanwhile, tourists at the Crossroads of the World were also concerned about the possibility of a gun crime wave.
“I’m happy that I’m going home today. I don’t have to go back to Times Square anymore,” Olivia Bres, a 25-year-old nursing student from Poland, told The Post.
Olivia’s mother, Olga Bres, was shopping in Times Square when the shots rang out at around 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
“I was buying a souvenir. I saw a helicopter and many cars full of police. They were running and searching. I did not know what was happening. I was afraid,” Olga recalled.
The mother and daughter were shocked to learn that the fellow tourist – who was shot in the knee area – was staying at their hotel.
Another visitor, Christian Kulla, noted that coming to New York City brought new concerns that he did not have to deal with back home in Germany.
“There are no weapons allowed so it’s different here. It doesn’t happen often there,” Kulla, who was in town with his wife and 12-year-old son, said.
“I feel safe in the hotel but when I go to Times Square in the evening it’s a bit scary because there are so many people. I’m very careful because my son is here with me,” he added.
