Police: Suspect In Killing Of New Rochelle Taxi Driver Taken Into Custody After Shootout In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was a barrage of bullets in Brooklyn between police and a suspect in a Westchester County homicide.
The incident happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the New York City Housing Authority's Ingersoll Houses in Fort Greene and sent some residents just beginning their day running for their lives, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported Sunday.
The suspect is in custody, and, fortunately, no one was hit or injured.
"I'm a caterer and as I'm taking my food, minding my business, I just hear shots. I'm running," witness Victoria Holman said.
At least a dozen shots were fired on Myrtle Avenue and Fleet Place.
"I heard seven gunshots, I believe it was, and I looked out the window. I seen officers running, ducking, hiding behind trees," witness Faisal Abdullah said. "I believe he was wearing a yellow shirt or yellow sweater or something like that. I don't know if he surrendered or what happened, but they put him in a police car."
Sources told CBS2 it was actually New Rochelle police exchanging gunfire with a man wanted in the murder of 62-year-old taxi driver Andres Valenzuela.
Last Thursday, he was found lying in the parking lot of Juliano's Caterers in New Rochelle. Police said he was shot twice while parking his taxi after completing a six-hour shift. Valenzuela had driven 10 years for Express City Taxi, sometimes working seven days a week.
All the drivers are feeling bad, you know. Shocking, it's a surprise. New Rochelle usually is a quiet city," the company's Marcos Pazos said.
Police have said robbery was one possible motive, but are still investigating.
New Rochelle police said officers tracked the suspect to the Brooklyn location on Sunday.
"This is a really safe neighborhood, so that's scary to hear," Fort Greene resident Jade Wilson said.
"I saw the broken glass on the storefront over there and I saw a bunch of cop cars closing down the block," Fort Greene resident Kyle Schustak added.
Some said they are concerned with how the suspect was taken into custody.
"It has been galvanizing to discuss, the excessive shots fired," one person said.
"Nobody got hurt. That's the main thing. It's the projects. It was getting better, you know, nothing was going on, but this is home, you know. I live here," Holman said.
New Rochelle police said the investigation is ongoing and they'll have more information to release Monday.
