TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan (PIX11) -- NYPD officers were pelted with basketballs and scooters in a targeted attack by alleged gang members in Times Square Friday, authorities said.
The cops were on patrol near 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when they noticed a dozen people surrounding three individuals in what appeared to be a “wolfpack style robbery," according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The officers were then ambushed while trying to break up the scene. The suspects allegedly threw basketballs, scooters, and other makeshift weapons at the cops, police said.
Five suspects, including a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, have been arrested in connection with the incident as of Tuesday.
Authorities said some of the suspects are known as Los Diablos de la 42 (Little Devils of 42nd Street), a subset of the Tren de Aragua gang. Some of them were flagged in a gang database.
“It absolutely defies common sense that the City Council is looking to abolish this database. We need the City Council to stop legislating against our cops and to start legislating for public safety," Tisch said.
The officers were not injured. The investigation is ongoing.
“An attack on uniformed 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 NYPD said in a statement to PIX11 News.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.
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