NYPD puts out photo of punk in cop shooting
Cops released surveillance images Wednesday of a suspect wanted for the brazen robbery of an off-duty NYPD lieutenant outside a Queens nightclub that ended in a fatal shootout.
The suspect was part of a trio of crooks who tried to rob Lt. Nathan Yakubov of his jewelry as he walked out of La Boom nightclub in Woodside about 3:15 a.m. on Dec. 16, according to cops.
One of the robbers died in the ensuing gunfight while a second was wounded and is facing attempted murder charges. Yakubov was critically wounded by the gunfire.
The third suspect cops released surveillance images of Wednesday may also have been hurt by the gunfire, cops said. He was caught on camera a short distance from the club limping and tending some kind of wound to his left hip.
The NYPD is asking the public’s help identifying and tracking down the third suspect.
Surveillance footage pulled from the club shows Yakubov — sporting large gold chains — walking to his parked 2020 Jaguar as a Honda Accord pulls up alongside, police sources said.
When the armed masked robbers approached, Yakubov — a 15-year NYPD veteran — pulled out his service weapon. A shootout ensued and Yakubov was struck multiple times. Medics found him bleeding from the mouth, head and body.
“Please call my wife,” Yakubov said as medics worked on him at the scene, sources said. “They tried to rob me and I shot them.”
Medics rushed Yakubov to Elmhurst Hospital Center. He was initially listed in critical condition but is recovering, officials said.
One of the robbers, Raymierik Lopez, 20, was fatally shot in the chest and stomach. Lopez’s semiautomatic handgun was found at the scene, cops said.
Suspect Christian Cruz, 18, was shot in the lower back and buttocks but managed to take himself to Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx for treatment later that night.
Detectives caught up with Cruz at the hospital, charging him with attempted murder, robbery, gun possession, assault and other charges. Cruz, who cops say is a member of 3MB, a subset of the Trinitarios gang, is being held without bail.
The third suspect cops are hunting was wearing blue jeans and a blue hoodie during the shootout.
Anyone with information was asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.