Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, 15, arrested in Times Square shooting that injured Brazilian tourist, NYPD says

A 15-year-old boy was ordered Saturday to be jailed without bail on charges that he shot and wounded a tourist Thursday night in Times Square during a shoplifting incident and then fired at — but missed — a police officer who pursued him through packed Midtown streets.

The teen, Jesus Rivas-Figueroa, identified by the NYPD as a Venezuelan migrant, was arraigned the day after being arrested. Charges against him include attempted murder, attempted assault, criminal possession of a weapon and assault.

At the arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Katherine McEnroe said: "The defendant has demonstrated that he is an extreme flight risk and is facing a long sentence of incarceration on this strong case, where he shot an innocent bystander in Times Square and then fired at the police officer who was trying to arrest him," according to an email from Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office.

Rivas-Figueroa had been staying at the Stratford Arms Hotel in Manhattan since September and was picked up by members of the federal regional fugitive task force in Yonkers on Friday afternoon, the NYPD said.

During a news conference earlier Friday in Times Square, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said Rivas-Figueroa is believed to have been among a group of three young men who were attempting to shoplift clothes from a store when they were stopped by a security guard.

While the security guard attempted to take back some of the items, Rivas-Figueroa pulled out a handgun and fired at the guard, missing her but wounding a 37-year-old Brazilian tourist in the leg, Chell said. The tourist is expected to recover from her injury, officials said.

The trio fled the store and Rivas-Figueroa ran down 47th Street, where he was spotted by a police officer. As the armed suspect ran down an area between two buildings, he fired twice at the pursuing officer, who wasn’t hit, Chell said.

The officer didn’t return fire because there were too many civilian bystanders in the area.

“Our officer draws his weapon. He cannot fire,” Chell said at a news conference on Thursday evening. “Too many people around, there’s too many people ducking.”

Rivas-Figueroa, wearing all white, got away by running into the subway and didn’t return to the hotel, although one of his alleged accomplices was taken into custody for questioning, according to police.

During the news conference, Chell didn’t name Rivas-Figueroa, but his identity became known later after he was apprehended.

Chell said the teen was considered a suspect in an armed robbery in the Bronx on Jan. 27 and a separate shooting in Times Square last month.

At another news conference Friday evening to discuss the arrest, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban issued a warning. 

“If you think to attack a member of this department, if you think to threaten lives of the people who keep us safe … then think again, we will pursue, we will find you and then we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice,” Caban said.

With Matthew Chayes

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.