By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-28 21:40:59 | Updated at 2025-03-31 14:21:56
2 days ago
Two brave cops who were shot by a Venezuelan migrant during a wild scooter chase in Queens last year were among dozens of officers promoted at an NYPD ceremony Friday.
Officers Christopher Abreu and Richard Yarusso, both 27, were bumped up to the position of detective after the chaotic June shootout in which Bernardo Castro Mata, 19, allegedly opened fire on the partners.
“I’m ecstatic,” Yarusso told The Post of his new police rank. “It’s very exciting. I’m honored. I’ve always wanted to be a detective.”
Yarusso and Abreu were working a robbery case involving crooks on mopeds in Elmhurst in the early hours of June 3 when they spotted Mata driving a black scooter with no plates the wrong way down a street and chased after him.
They caught up with the armed suspect, and Yarusso was shot in his bullet-proof vest as he tried to wrestle Mata’s illegal gun away. Mata shot Abreu in the right ankle before taking a bullet himself, and Yarusso rushed to the aid of his more seriously injured partner.
“Stuff like that, it definitely strengthens the team’s relationship, and I’m very proud of everything that we’ve done before and after that event,” Abreu said. “In that moment, he was there for me.”
He said being a cop is rewarding because it helps put violent criminals, including ones with guns, behind bars.
“I take great pride in getting really bad people off the streets,” he said.
The partners were among 125 NYPD cops promoted — with titles ranging from inspectors to captains — at 1 Police Plaza on Friday.
Other officers who climbed the ranks included Detective Kevin Tagnosky, 41, a cousin-in-law of slain Detective Jonathan Diller, who was shot while conducting a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, last year.
“I know that many have come before me, and it’s an honor to continue in rank and to continue doing the work,” said Tagnosky, of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, to The Post.
He was promoted to Detective Second Grade.
“We honor [Diller’s] memory and tradition by continuing to serve,” he said.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised Yarusso and Abreu for their bravery in their own potentially deadly situation.
“This could have obviously ended quite differently,” Tisch said of the shootout. “It’s only because of the bravery of cops like these, like all of you, that we are turning the tide against gun violence in New York City, and today it is my pleasure to promote both officers.”
