Man Sentenced For Shooting 2 Cops In Queens, DA Says

QUEENS, NY — A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to prison after he shot two NYPD officers who were attempting to pull him over one year ago, prosecutors announced.

Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, who pled guilty to attempted murder and second-degree-assault, was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

“It is simply a miracle that Officers Richard Yarusso and Christopher Abreu are alive today. These brave officers attempted to stop this defendant after he was observed riding his motorcycle the wrong way on Ditmars Boulevard and driving on the sidewalk with pedestrians present," District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Mata shot officer Richard Yarusso and officer Christopher Abreu on June 3, 2024. The suspect had been spotted driving a moped in the wrong direction on 82nd Street in East Elmhurst, Patch previously reported.

When officers tried to pull him over, Mata fled on foot and was chased for a few blocks until he suddenly took out a gun and fired at them, Patch previously reported.

Yarusso was hit in his bulletproof vest, while officer Christopher Abreu was shot in the leg.

The gun used in the incident was unlicensed and was recovered at the scene, police said.

Mata will serve 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge and three years for assault. The sentences will be served consecutively.

"This sentence sends the message we desperately need. Anyone who attacks a New York City police officer should expect swift justice and a very long stay in prison. However, taking one attempted cop-killer off the streets is not enough to stop the epidemic of assaults on our members. We need that message to be repeated again and again, in every case and every courthouse in this city," PBA President Patrick Hendry said.