Two NYPD officers were shot while attempting to stop a man riding a motorized scooter early Monday morning in Elmhurst, Queens, authorities said.

Police said the incident happened at approximately 1:50 a.m. near 23rd Avenue and 89th Street.

Uniformed officers were in the area working to address a robbery pattern involving suspects on mopeds and scooters, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said at a news conference Monday near the site of the shooting.

What You Need To Know

  • Two NYPD officers were shot while attempting to stop a man riding a motorized scooter early Monday morning in Elmhurst, Queens, authorities said

  • Police said the incident happened at approximately 1:50 a.m. near 23rd Avenue and 89th Street

  • Authorities said police witnessed a male suspect, who they later identified as a 19-year-old, driving a moped down the street the wrong way

  • After a short pursuit, the man then fled the vehicle and started running on foot, at which point he allegedly fired a gun at the officers, striking one in the leg and another in the ches

Authorities said police witnessed a male suspect, who they later identified as a 19-year-old, driving a moped down the street the wrong way. Police attempted to stop him, but he sped away.

After a short pursuit, the man then fled the vehicle and started running on foot, at which point he allegedly fired a gun at the officers, striking one in the leg and another in the chest.

The officers were later identified as Richard Yarusso, who has been on the force for two-and-a-half years, and Christopher Abreu, who has been with the NYPD for just over five years.

Both officers are in stable condition, were treated at a local hospital, and have since been released.

The two officers immediately returned fire, wounding the man in the ankle, authorities said. He was taken to New York Presbyterian Queens in stable condition.

Police said a gun was recovered at the scene of the shooting.

Mayor Eric Adams, who spoke at the news briefing, held aloft a Kevlar police vest that had a bullet lodged inside it.

"This is a bullet hole," Adams said. "Because of this vest, a young police officer is going home."

Adams called the shooting a "senseless act of violence" and a "total disregard for life."

Authorities said the suspect is a migrant from Venezuela currently living at a migrant shelter at 90-10 Ditmars Blvd. in Queens. Police said they are also investigating whether he is tied to the rash of robberies while on motorized vehicles.

Crimes involving motorized scooters have sharply increased over the past three years, according to police data.

From Jan. 1 to June 2022, no crimes involving motorized scooters were recorded by police. The following year during the same time, 20 incidents were reported, and that number jumped to 80 in 2024.

Police have not yet announced any charges related to the incident.