An employee with the City of New York Department of Sanitation was arrested and charged with attempted murder in Bronx County Criminal Court on Monday.
The defendant, Richie Torres — not to be confused with U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres representing District 15 in the Bronx — was booked on two charges of attempted murder, five counts of assault, six counts of criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment within the confines of the 48th Precinct, according to the NYPD.
The criminal complaint from the Bronx District Attorney’s office in the case states that Torres, 44, allegedly approached a vehicle near the intersection Trafalgar Place and East 176th Street just north of Crotona Park on April 4, and fired “several rounds into the passenger side of the vehicle.”
At that point, the investigation states that the person in the driver’s seat drove the car away, and then another unknown vehicle came toward Torres, as the 44 year old allegedly discharged “several” more rounds at the passenger side of the second vehicle. The criminal complaint states that two people were shot and transported to local Bronx hospitals, and that investigators recovered three shell casings and seven 9 mm rounds at the crime scene.
According to the complaint, when investigators showed Torres a still photograph taken from surveillance cameras at the time and place of the alleged crime, he identified himself.
“Deponent further (swears) that defendant stated in sum and substance: That is me in the photograph,” the criminal complaint states.
Joshua Goodman, the deputy commissioner and public affairs officer at the Department of Sanitation, told the Bronx Times in an email statement Thursday night that Torres — who has been with the agency since 2005 — is on “unpaid leave pending the outcome of the case.” Goodman did not specify Torres’ position at the department, and did not answer a question of whether or not he had any record of misconduct at the agency.
Denisse Moreno, a public information officer at the Bronx District Attorney’s office, told the Bronx Times that Torres is currently in custody with an option for a $200,000 cash bail, $200,000 bond or a $600,000 partially secured bond at 10%. There was no trial date set as of Thursday.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
