LOWER EAST SIDE, NY – A 15-year-old Guatemalan immigrant has been apprehended and charged with murdering one man and injuring another in an altercation at a troubled Manhattan park, according to New York City police officials. The violent incident unfolded within a homeless encampment at Sara D. Roosevelt Park located at Hester and Chrystie Streets.
The adolescent suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed due to his minor status, arrived in the US within the last year and is reportedly homeless, as informed by NYPD Chief of Detectives, Joseph Kenny. Authorities are currently attempting to locate the boy’s family.
Officers arrested the teen last Saturday, charging him with both murder and attempted murder. As reported by witnesses, the teen was present at the aforementioned park encampment interacting with the victims, homeless men identified as 25-year-old Alonzo Pasquale and 29-year-old Alonzo Lucas.
The altercation transpired approximately at 11 p.m. on Nov. 16, escalating from a verbal dispute to a physical fight. The teen was spotted in an altercation with Pasquale and wielding a knife towards him and Lucas.
According to Kenny, crime rates have been climbing in the area, with statistics showing four robberies, 11 felony assaults, and 26 misdemeanor assaults in the park this year alone, not including this most recent deadly assault. He indicated that the park is known to be inhabited by a “homeless community,” which includes some recent migrants.