The migrant Castro Mata, who shot two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers in early June, has been arraigned at Queen County Criminal Court. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder.
He entered the courtroom with his right hand cuffed to a wheelchair. He opened fire when two policemen tried to pull him over as he rode a scooter on the wrong way in a one-way street early this month.
Bernardo Raul Castro Mata was indicted in the shooting of Officer Richard Yarusso and Officer Christopher Abreu while driving on the wrong side in East Elmhurst, as reported earlier.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said that although one police officer was shot in the abdomen and the other in the leg, they “continued to make the arrest.” They also alleged that the scooter was unregistered and that the rider was not wearing a helmet.
Detectives have also stated that 19-year-old Mata has faced previous arrests by police officers. He was found with two stolen credit cards. These cards were linked to other crimes.
The 19-year suspect pleaded not guilty to the charge. He said that the gun did not belong to him and that it went off accidentally. He said he ran because he was scared when the cops stopped him. He also said that he knew “there was a gun in the bag.”
The Venezuelan native, who crossed the border without papers, said that shootings between cops and gang members were not a big deal in his country as gang members shoot cops to get away from them.
However, he also claimed that the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger.
He also admitted that he had been recruited as a member of Tren de Aragua, the largest criminal organization in Venezuela. He revealed the modus operandi of the gang. He said that the gang smuggled firearms into city shelters using food delivery packages, as these packets did not go through metal detectors.
Judge Kenneth Holder said that Castro Mata would be held without bail. His next hearing is on September 16. If convicted, he could spend up to 80 years in jail.
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