Dramatic new video shows a group of armed suspects breaking into a barbershop in New York City squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district and opening fire on a man, sending employees and customers spilling into the street on Friday. The program was aired.
The suspects were initially stopped by one of the barbers, a legal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, who confronted the trio and got into a scuffle with one of the gunmen, causing the fleeing man to attack the barber. I gave them enough time to find safety at the back of the store. The barber, a father of seven, has been hailed as a hero by local authorities.
The shocking incident, which sources say was gang-related, took place on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. It's a busy downtown area that has been plagued by open-air prostitution and other crimes for years, with some residents comparing it to the Third District. countries of the world.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (left) and the shooter (right) begin firing. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images, left, courtesy of Hiram Monserrate, right)
Friday's video shows a man standing inside Langmas El Cash Barber Shop, 103-17 Roosevelt Ave., at about 5:45 p.m., when the suspects suddenly burst into the store. It's reflected.
The target can be seen running to the back of the barber shop for safety, and the suspects are confronted by local barber Rafael Abreu, who forces him back to the front door.
However, one of the armed suspects lunged toward the target and pulled out a gun.
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Abreu grabbed the armed suspect, and after a scuffle ensued, the gunman handed the gun to one of the other suspects.
As other employees and customers made their way to the front of the door, a newly armed man wearing a black hoodie and black pants walked to the back of the barbershop and fired at least one shot.
The three then fled the building and remain at large, police told FOX News Digital. The male target was not injured and no harm was reported in connection with the incident. Police say no arrests have been made and the investigation continues.
Hiram Monserrate, a former Democratic New York state senator and local Democratic district leader, said the shooting was just the latest incident in the crime-ridden area.
“This shooting…is a stark reminder of how dangerous Roosevelt Street has become. Rafael Abreu, a local barber-turned-hero, has become a key figure in this city for his extraordinary bravery and life-saving feats. He is the right person to be,” Monserrate said.
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Hiram Monserrate and his barbers after Saturday's shooting. (Courtesy of Hiram Monserrate)
“A real New Yorker who risked his life for a stranger. Watch in real time as Rafael protects the targets of a gun-toting gang and his fellow workers at the Roosevelt Street barbershop where he works.”
Fox News Digital reported extensively on the scale of crime hitting the area. The area became known as a red-light district, where naked women solicited sex on the sidewalks and illegal businesses infested the trash-strewn streets. Overall crime in the 115th Precinct has increased nearly 18 percent over the past two years, according to NYPD data.
The situation has become so bad that New York City Mayor Eric Adams last month launched Operation Restore Roosevelt, which aims to crack down on crime and restore law and order to business districts through the end of the year. The operation consists of more than 200 additional NYPD police officers and state troopers patrolling the area.
But Monserrate warned that despite the heavy police presence, the Roosevelt Street corridor remains “under criminal siege, with cartels and gangs active.”
The district of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is plagued by illegal prostitutes who line the streets day and night and brazenly solicit passersby for sex. (Left to right: Ramses Frias, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, Sarah Stier/Getty Images provided by QBFC)
“The fight to take back our streets continues. These criminal elements have guns. They could be caught in the crossfire on their way to the 7 train or while getting a haircut,” Monserrate said. says.
“This is the reality. If Rafael Abreu hadn't stood up and put his life on the line, there would have been at least one casualty, maybe more. He is a true hero that every New Yorker can be proud of.”
The barbershop is located in New York's 14th arrondissement and is headed by Ocasio-Cortez. His office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment about the case or other Roosevelt Avenue crime stories reported this year.
Monserrate said Ocasio-Cortez does not support local efforts to combat crime.
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Prostitutes line the streets of Queens (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
Ramon Ramirez-Baez, founder of the local safety group Improving Roosevelt Street, said the incident shows the additional police presence needs to be made permanent.
“We understand that we can't do anything without safety,” Ramirez-Baez said.
“It's clear that these officers need to remain on Roosevelt Street for more than 90 days. This young man was lucky enough to come across Rafael Abreu at work.”
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