What to Know
- Shots were fired on the West Side Highway Thursday afternoon in connection with a probe into a large-scale heroin ring in the Bronx
- A task force involving federal, state and NYPD officers pulled over a suspect's vehicle; he allegedly rammed his car into theirs to escape
- Authorities caught up with him in the Bronx and he is in custody; the West Side Highway was shut down in both directions for 14 blocks
Federal agents and state police opened fire on a heroin mill delivery suspect after he allegedly rammed officers' vehicles when cornered on the West Side Highway Thursday in connection with an ongoing drug investigation, a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation tells News 4.
Authorities have been looking into a large-scale heroin distribution network in the Bronx and pulled the suspect's vehicle over on the highway early in the afternoon, believing he was in the process of making deliveries.
The senior official says the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Jamarky Almanzar, rammed his vehicle into officers' vehicles, and that's when some of the officers -- members of a DEA task force -- opened fire. It wasn't clear how many shots were fired, but no one was hit and Almanzar managed to elude law enforcement.
The senior official says the task force pursued him and caught up with him near the alleged mill in the Bronx; he is in custody, along with three additional suspects, Jonathan DeJesus, Wellington Brito and Jomar Farino. Authorities were also raiding the suspected drug location.
No injuries to Almanzar or officers were reported. The West Side Highway was shut down for more than a dozen blocks -- between West 56th Street and West 42nd Street -- in both directions. Two northbound lanes reopened to traffic by 2:30 p.m. with major backups still reported.
The task force was comprised of federal agents, state officers and the NYPD. The shooting involved the federal agents and state police, not the NYPD, the senior official said.
