One of the Big Apple's most notorious criminals this year has been arrested 20 times in less than two years, but he's still walking the streets freely because he's only 14 years old.
Another 12-year-old young thug, who has already been arrested six times, is free to roam the streets after being cycled through the state's juvenile justice system, handcuffed by lax laws and inadequate resources. There is. And the authorities can't do anything about it. .
“We're arresting juveniles at the highest level we've ever seen,” Michael Lipetri, the NYPD's director of crime enforcement strategies, told the Post. “We see juveniles committing five, six, seven robberies, most of which are dealt with under family court rules.
“We know that if they are arrested with a gun, a quarter of that population will be involved in a shooting incident.” [some] So this means the victims, this means the perpetrators, they were there as witnesses, a quarter of that population,” the chief said.
“Why? Because there are no consequences at this point,” he added. “We've already had 15 boys killed by gunfire this year. We're talking about being killed by gunshots. It wasn't even close to that before.”
The Empire State's “raise the age” law and controversial bail reform law avoid bigotry and instead dump them into an overwhelming juvenile system that doesn't have the space, resources, or power to keep them locked up. created a new generation of young criminals. critics say.
The city's two juvenile detention centers are now dangerously overcrowded, and strict laws prevent police from conducting criminal history checks or catching and assisting young troublemakers.
Meanwhile, Lipetri said 12% of gun arrests this year involved suspects under 18, up from 7% in 2018, when the age increase first took effect. He also said the NYPD arrested 275 juveniles with guns in 2016, but this year the number has already increased to 438.
The cases reviewed by the Post reveal the outcome. Baby-faced defendants cycle in and out of overcrowded juvenile detention facilities and the judicial system, powerless to do anything.
The 14-year-old troublemaker is a terrible example of a flawed system.
Despite his young age, he has nearly 20 arrests, mostly for robbery, grand larceny and possession of stolen property, and some of the busts are currently sealed, sources said. .
The latest arrest was filed after an Oct. 22 snatching in Brooklyn, less than a month after another robbery arrest elsewhere in the borough.
The 12-year-old suspect was most recently arrested on Nov. 9 in the Bronx and charged with gun possession, adding to a series of arrests that include assault and reckless endangerment charges.
However, officials said the two boys remained free after their cases were tried in family court rather than adult court. Both were released into the custody of their parents without bail, officials added.
Officials say a 15-year-old has already been charged four times, most recently after a school safety officer in Queens found a black Cobra pistol in the boy's backpack during an altercation. He said he discovered it.
Another juvenile thug, 17, has nine arrests, including three for gunpoint robbery in Brooklyn, sources said.
Baby-faced gangbangers are even part of a wave of immigrant crime hitting the city.
The notorious Venezuelan street gang Torren de Aragua, which has established a foothold in five boroughs in the past two years, is in the midst of an off-campus group of young men who call themselves “Diablos de la 42” (Devils of 42nd Street). Created a shot crew, whose members are as follows: As young as 11 years old.
The teenage terrorists in the young crew were arrested more than a dozen times this year on numerous robbery and assault charges, but were allowed to remain free until last month in a taxpayer-funded immigration shelter.
After being arrested for the 11th time for robbery at knifepoint, he was finally locked up in one of the juvenile detention centers.
Meanwhile, the city's only two juvenile detention facilities – Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx and Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn – are receiving more violent and older teenage boys thanks to the Raising the Age Act. They are being forced into detention and are collapsing.
In a damning new report released last month, the City Bureau of Investigation revealed that the number of residents at the center exploded from 52 in April 2018 to 237 in May 2023.
During the same period, the number of murder charges jumped from seven to more than 230.
“Raising the age will not deter criminal behavior by children, nor will it protect victims from crime,” a law enforcement official said. “Clearly they are unfazed by any false deterrent the law provides.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Cathy Hochul defended law enforcement's policy in an email to the Post.
“Governor Hochul's top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, which is why she is working with the Legislature to crack down on gun violence, auto theft, and recidivism, and to expand the types of cases in which judges have discretion. ” to set bail.
“Our administration continues to work with law enforcement and local officials to improve our criminal justice system, combat violence, and strengthen public safety across New York,” the email said. are.
But one law enforcement official complained that something has to change, starting in Albany.
“We need a thorough review of all stakeholders to see what can be done to save these children,” the official said. “It's not about incarceration. It's about saving these kids and getting them on the right track.”
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
