Union rips ‘hiding’ of MS-13’er
A top police-union official blasted the NYPD Wednesday for apparently shielding an alleged illegal-immigrant MS-13 killer from the public.
Police charged accused subway shooter Ramiro Gutierrez in the dead of night — then misled reporters about his whereabouts while they sneaked him out the side door of a Queens station house Tuesday, the union claimed.
“Why would you hide him from the media? It makes it more suspicious,” fumed Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins. “The perception of hiding him from the public raises questions . . . How do you say that there’s transparency when you do things like this?”
Gutierrez is accused of fatally shooting gang rival Abel Mosso on a 7-line station platform Sunday.
Police claim they did not intentionally keep him out of the public eye.
All concerned are denying that City Hall ordered the NYPD to keep Ramiro Gutierrez out of the spotlight, but it’s plain that some word went down. Gutierrez, 26, is the MS-13 member accused of committing murder on a No. 7 platform in broad daylight, who also turns out to be an illegal immigrant.
And, as Wednesday’s Post reported, cops bent over backward to shield him from public scrutiny in the hours before President Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday. They fed reporters misleading info about his whereabouts, claimed ignorance of his illegal status — and called off his planned “perp walk,” instead sneaking him out a back door en route to his court appearance.
Of course, Trump brought up the case anyway, since it’s textbook evidence for his argument that the nation needs to regain control of its borders.
Which would explain why Team de Blasio wanted Gutierrez’s arrest kept low-profile.
The 26-year-old gangbanger has at least nine prior arrests and was out on $2,500 bail at the time of the murder. Police said his priors include arrests for criminal possession of a controlled substance, felony conspiracy and criminal possession of stolen property. And, yes, he was in the NYPD’s gang database as an MS-13 member.
City Hall insists it wasn’t “involved in the mechanics of the defendant’s transfer” and that everything was the cops’ call.
It’s possible the department didn’t know of his immigration status; Post reporters had to check it with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
His priors would’ve let the city hand him over to ICE, rather than putting him into the system to get bail, even under de Blasio’s “Sanctuary City” laws. But city policy doesn’t let cops check on immigration status, even in extreme cases such as suspected MS-13ers.
The case, in short, calls the mayor’s approach into question and bolsters Trump’s position. No wonder someone high up wants to keep it as quiet as possible.