NYC sanitation worker charged with shooting teen after attempted car theft
BRONX - A New York City sanitation worker is facing an attempted murder charge after he allegedly shot two people, including an innocent bystander, while attempting to stop his car from being stolen.
It was back on April 4 when, according to authorities, Richie Torres spotted a 16-year-old suspected car thief driving away in his black Chevy Tahoe near Trafalgar Place and 176th Street.
Torres, 44, opened fire, striking the teenager in the shoulder. A bystander, sitting in a parked car, was hit in the elbow. Both victims were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Torres has been charged with attempted murder and criminal weapons possession. The teen has been charged with criminal possession of stolen property.
Residents of the neighborhood have expressed concern about the growing number of car thefts and carjackings.
One resident said, "It's been going on for a few years, and it's been getting worse."
Another resident, David Aponte, blamed the situation on the lack of education for young people, saying, "It was bad in the '90s with the crack, but now these kids, they just aren't going to school."
Violent NYC carjackers stealing cars at gunpoint
The NYPD is looking for armed carjackers who have hit at least four times across Brooklyn and Queens.
Car owners citywide are on alert as car thefts and carjackings have been on the rise. In the 48th Precinct in the Bronx, they've risen by 29.5% since last year, according to the latest NYPD statistics.
A Department of Sanitation spokesperson told FOX 5 NY that Torres has been suspended without pay, pending the outcome of the case. He had been on the job since 2005.