Posted on 05/12/2021 10:44:54 AM PDT by Red Badger
TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) -- The man wanted for opening fire in Times Square wounded two women and a 4-year-old girl has been arrested in Florida.
Farrakhan Muhammad was apprehended by U.S. Marshals and members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force in Starke, located just outside Jacksonville.
Authorities say he appeared to have been staying in Florida with a girlfriend.
The 31-year-old allegedly fired his weapon in Times Square this past Saturday while taking aim at his own brother.
He had been known to frequent Times Square, passing off bootleg CDs. He has been arrested several times over the last few years.
He was charged Oct. 17, 2018 with previously harassing a 25-year-old woman on the phone and sending her threatening text messages.
On March 17, 2018, he was arrested for aggravated harassment in Midtown and on March 14, 2020, he was arrested for assault in Midtown.
Between 2007 and 2015 he was arrested seven other times on various charges including robbery, grand larceny and fraud.
The mayor said he did not believe that shooting is indicative of larger problems.
The city has a lot riding on tourism. Visitors spent $67 billion in 2019.
There are additional police in the city's 20 largest subway stations in addition to those additional officers in and around Times Square.
But despite the NYPD's deployment of more highly-trained critical response command officers, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says he is not convinced more cops would have stopped Saturday's shooting.
"Clearly deployment is a piece of this equation," he said. "But again, I spoke to one of the officers. He was literally feet away, a block away. He put it over (on the radio), responded immediately. You see how many cops were in that area."
Times Square shooting suspect arrested in Florida Wednesday, May 12, 2021 12:39PM
EMBED <>MORE VIDEOS Four people, including an MTA employee, were attacked in the New York City subway system Wednesday morning.
TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) -- The man wanted for opening fire in Times Square wounded two women and a 4-year-old girl has been arrested in Florida.
Farrakhan Muhammad was apprehended by U.S. Marshals and members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force in Starke, located just outside Jacksonville.
Authorities say he appeared to have been staying in Florida with a girlfriend.
The 31-year-old allegedly fired his weapon in Times Square this past Saturday while taking aim at his own brother.
He had been known to frequent Times Square, passing off bootleg CDs. He has been arrested several times over the last few years.
He was charged Oct. 17, 2018 with previously harassing a 25-year-old woman on the phone and sending her threatening text messages.
On March 17, 2018, he was arrested for aggravated harassment in Midtown and on March 14, 2020, he was arrested for assault in Midtown.
Between 2007 and 2015 he was arrested seven other times on various charges including robbery, grand larceny and fraud.
The mayor said he did not believe that shooting is indicative of larger problems.
The city has a lot riding on tourism. Visitors spent $67 billion in 2019.
There are additional police in the city's 20 largest subway stations in addition to those additional officers in and around Times Square.
But despite the NYPD's deployment of more highly-trained critical response command officers, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says he is not convinced more cops would have stopped Saturday's shooting.
"Clearly deployment is a piece of this equation," he said. "But again, I spoke to one of the officers. He was literally feet away, a block away. He put it over (on the radio), responded immediately. You see how many cops were in that area."
RELATED: Times Square shooting renews calls for change to curb violence
Saturday's Times Square shooting renewed calls for change to curb the rising violence in the city.
Regarding the shooting victims, de Blasio announced Monday that all three are out of the hospital and "it looks like they will make a stronger recovery."
Alyssa Vogel was identified by police as the officer carrying the 4-year-old child to the ambulance after the shooting. She spoke out about the incident on "GMA."
The 4-year-old underwent surgery and is now recovering at home.
Her grandmother expressed gratitude to Eyewitness News on Monday that the young girl was already out of the hospital.
Eyewitness News caught up with 23-year-old tourist Wendy Magrinot on the phone.
She said she thought she was going to die.
"I was able to run like five steps and I told my mom to take the baby and run," Magrinot said. "I saw a police officer and I screamed to him, 'I'm shot, I have a 2 year old, I don't want to die, please help me."
She also says she has no plans to return to New York City anytime soon.
Marcela Aldana, who was shopping with her daughter when she was shot, said her prognosis is good, but she has no idea when she can return to work to provide for her family.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the shooting was "more damaging" because it is higher profile.
"Times Square, high publicity, more people have heard about it," Cuomo said. "Times Square is a tourist destination. Times square is iconic New York City. Was it more damaging? Yes, only because it communicated to more people."
Cuomo added that real New Yorkers already "know there is a crime problem."
"Did it tell the people of NYC anything new," Cuomo asked. "No, no, that's why this is all a game. You take the subway, you know there is a crime problem. You live in NYC, you watch any newspaper, watch any news show for the past months, you know there is a crime problem. And now it happened in Times Square that may translate to more tourists, but i don't think it made a difference for New Yorkers."
New York has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country, but Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says more is needed.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The relgion of peace?
Well thats an unusual first name
Very unusual for sane people...................
What is his race?
Human...................allegedly...............
I can already envision a threatened and tainted jury in the near future.
Lets see
He was a good boy
loved his momma
was working on his GED
an aspiring rap star
was planning to marry his baby momma
everyone in the neighborhood loved him
had an infectious smile and like to tell jokes
Did I miss anything?
“Farrakhan Muhammad”
Obviously raised by good stock.
“in Starke,”
************************************************************
Ha. Just down the road.
“The city has a lot riding on tourism. Visitors spent $67 billion in 2019.”
I wonder how much in 2020.
Photo of suspect on left is from his church choir. Red garment is the choir robe. Hymnal in hand not in scope of picture.
Or it’s from his arrests for....
He was charged Oct. 17, 2018 with previously harassing a 25-year-old woman on the phone and sending her threatening text messages.
On March 17, 2018, he was arrested for aggravated harassment in Midtown and on March 14, 2020, he was arrested for assault in Midtown.
Between 2007 and 2015 he was arrested seven other times on various charges including robbery, grand larceny and fraud.
How convenient. They got a photo him standing in front of a crime stoppers poster with the tip phone number on it.
Was the guilty one another Scot/Irish/Brit relative of mine?
Probably not.
More like Daddy was a follower of the Nation of Islam.
Church every Sunday.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says he is not convinced more cops would have stopped Saturday’s shooting.
“Clearly deployment is a piece of this equation,” he said. “But again, I spoke to one of the officers. He was literally feet away, a block away. He put it over (on the radio), responded immediately. You see how many cops were in that area.”
Times Square shooting suspect arrested in Florida Wednesday, May 12, 2021 12:39PM
And yet the perp managed to get all the way to Florida!
I guess he will go into the around the US prisoner transport like they did with the Jan 6th demonstration guy arrested in Florida and put in jail awaiting a trial sometime in 2022. I bet not.
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