Three individuals have been detained following the deadly shooting of a BMW driver during a failed robbery attempt near the New York Botanical Gardens, according to police reports from Monday.
Authorities identified Darin Sanchez and Wonderlin Mateo, both 18, as part of a four-member group that robbed and killed 26-year-old Amir Ahmad while he was sitting in his luxury car at Thwaites Place close to Barker Avenue at Pelham Parkway around 12:20 a.m. on February 13.
Angelique Encarnacion, aged 23, was apprehended on suspicion of enticing Ahmad to the building, only to return to the apartment following the shooting, as per police statements.
According to the police, Sanchez is believed to be the shooter; however, a legal complaint filed in Bronx Criminal Court indicates that both teens were armed during the incident. The other two suspects related to the robbery are still being sought.
The complaint details how Encarnacion convinced Ahmad, who resided about six miles away in Pelham Bay, to come to her home under the pretext of selling marijuana. This was allegedly a trap intended to ambush and rob him.
Sanchez, Mateo, and the other suspects were observed exiting Encarnacion’s apartment wearing masks and gloves prior to the robbery, as stated in the complaint.
Investigators reviewed video footage from the building’s elevator that showed Sanchez boasting about having a gun ready, according to court records.
The suspects then ambushed Ahmad while he was parked in his BMW outside the building, with both Sanchez and Mateo firing their weapons through the open windows, demanding that he and his passenger exit the vehicle.
The filing claims that Ahmad was shot and killed as he attempted to accelerate away.
Police reported that the assailants fled with a gold chain and an undetermined amount of cash.
Prosecutors noted that Encarnacion waited in the lobby during the violence, later returning to her apartment without any apparent remorse.
All three suspects were arrested on warrants and face charges including murder, manslaughter, attempted robbery, and weapons possession, as stated by police and prosecutors.
A judge ordered them held without bail, with their next court appearance scheduled for Thursday.
Additionally, prosecutors indicated Mateo’s involvement in another armed robbery the day after Ahmad was killed, which occurred at a barbershop on Bainbridge Street near East 213th Street, across from Woodlawn Cemetery. He and another suspect, who remains at large, reportedly fired at both the barber and a customer while robbing them.
According to police, the man is thought to have stolen a wallet and keys from one individual, and jewelry and cash from another.
Both Mateo and Sanchez have previous arrests; Mateo for a robbery in the Bronx last May, and Sanchez for suspected drug dealing in November. As of now, no arrests have been made regarding Encarnacion.
