The younger sister of the teen accused of killing a Hollywood officer has been arrested
On Friday night, U.S. Marshals arrested the 17-year-old sister of the teen who is accused of murdering Hollywood police officer Yandy Chirino.
Police say 18-year-old Jason Banegas was breaking into cars in the Hollywood residential community, Emerald Hills, on Oct. 17, when he was confronted by Chirino. According to the arrest warrant, Chirino was shot in the face and killed during a scuffle.
Banegas told officers he felt “disrespected” by Chirino, panicked because he was carrying a concealed weapon and did not want to go back to jail, and had intended to kill himself rather than the officer. But in the struggle, the officer was the one who was fatally wounded.
The gun is one reason deputies sought Banegas’ younger sister and had issued an arrest warrant. Federal and local officers took her into custody outside a Sunrise Walmart Friday night, news cameras from WPLG and WSVN showed.
According to reports, the 17-year-old — not named by the Miami Herald because she’s a minor — was wanted by MiamiDade officials for her part in connection with the theft of the gun that was allegedly used to kill Chirino.
The gun’s owner said that on Sept. 14 he had picked up two young women who were acquaintances. He told reporters that one of them, whom he identified from a photo and after seeing her interviewed by WPLG after her brother was arrested, took the gun from his car’s glove box, NBC6 reported.
In that televised WPLG interview on Monday, the teen defended her sibling, Jason. “My brother would never do that for no reason,” she told the station.
The girl was taken to a Lauderhill police station for questioning and transferred to juvenile assessment center.
Howard Cohen: 305-376-3619, @HowardCohen