An illegal immigrant accused of trying to kill two NYPD officers was arraigned Wednesday and could face 80 years to life in prison.
Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, a 19-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested this week on suspicion of attempting to kill NYPD Officers Richard Iarrusso, 26, and Christopher Abreu, 26, in a shootout.
According to the New York Police Department, Castro Mata crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Eagle Pass, Texas, in July 2023. At the time of the shooting, the suspect was staying at a taxpayer-funded migrant shelter in Queens.
Less than a month before the shooting, Castro Mata’s deportation case was closed by a federal immigration judge. A closed case means he was not granted asylum to stay in the U.S., but it also means he was not considered a priority for deportation by President Joe Biden’s administration.
On Wednesday, Castro Mata Indicted He faces numerous charges, including two counts of attempted murder, for allegedly firing at Iarrusso and Abreu when they tried to stop him on a moped going the wrong way down a one-way street.
Bernardo Castro Mata, 19, appeared in Queens Criminal Court on June 5, 2024. (New York Daily News/Pool Barry Williams)
Officer Richard Jarusso of the NYPD’s 115th Precinct, who was shot in the chest and survived thanks to his vest, carries his partner, Officer Christopher Abreu, who was shot in the leg, out of the emergency room at Elmhurst Hospital in a wheelchair to applause from NYPD leaders and fellow officers in the early hours of Monday, June 3, 2024. (Luis C. Ribeiro, New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Prosecutors say that during the shootout, Castro Mata became enraged and fired a handgun at Yarrusso and Abreu at close range, hitting Yarrusso in the chest and his bulletproof vest, saving his life, while Abreu was shot in the leg.
Officers returned fire, shooting Castro Mata in the ankle. Castro Mata remains in a New York City hospital, where he is recovering, and two officers were treated for their injuries and released.
Prosecutors say Castro Mata was involved in a shootout with NYPD officers and other crimes in New York City, including robberies at gunpoint. At the time of his arrest, Castro Mata had two stolen credit cards in his possession, prosecutors said.
Castro Mata is considered a flight risk because he is an illegal immigrant and is being held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 7.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter. here.
