12-year-old migrant with Tren de Aragua ties busted in attack on NYPD cops in Times Square

Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News on May 5, 2025

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NEW YORK — A 12-year-old migrant boy with Tren de Aragua ties was arrested in a Times Square attack on a pair of NYPD police officers who were protecting two other kids from being robbed, police sources said Monday.

The same boy made headlines last year when he was arrested at age 11 in connection with a string of Central Park robberies in which a number of people had their cellphones stolen, police sources said. The 12-year-old has ties to Diablos de la 42, or Devils of 42nd Street, an offshoot of Tren de Aragua, according to police sources.

In the Times Square episode, the two officers saw a group trying to rob two kids at W. 42nd St. and Eighth Ave about 7:35 p.m. Friday, and moved in to break it up. The group then turned on them, leaving the cops with minor injuries.

Two in the crowd threw items at the officers, including what appear to be a large rubber ball, video posted on X by Viral News NYC shows. An open-air boxing match in which Rolando Romero defeated Ryan Garcia had concluded in Times Square when the mayhem broke out.

Four suspects were nabbed, including the boy, who police sources said runs with a local offshoot of Tren de Aragua, the notorious Venezuelan gang that has come under renewed fire amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation agenda.

The suspects, all boys, were hit with various charges. The suspects have been staying at nearby hotels housing migrants seeking asylum, sources said.

An 18-year-old and a 17-year-old were charged with obstructing governmental administration, rioting and menacing, with the 17-year-old additionally charged with attempted assault of a police officer and reckless endangerment. Charges against the 12-year-old and a 14-year-old boy weren’t clear.

At least two others are still on the loose.

Some in the group of at least six were already being sought for a string of robberies in Central Park, police sources said. The pattern dates back to last year, when the 12-year-old, then 11, was charged. The disposition of the case against the boy was not immediately clear.

The NYPD, responding to questions about the Times Square assault, said in a statement that assaults against police officers “will not be tolerated.”

“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that NYPD police officers face every day while working to keep New Yorkers safe,” the statement said.

Two weeks ago, federal authorities announced more than two dozen New York City Tren de Aragua members, all migrants from Venezuela, had been been arrested on federal murder, racketeering, drug and sex trafficking charges.

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