A Brooklyn man who allegedly shot two straphangers on board a C train in the borough last month was cuffed on Tuesday, police confirmed.
According to police sources, 20-year-old Alexander Villafana, of Lincoln Avenue, was apprehended by the NYPD warrant squad at his home in East New York on Dec. 12 after being on the lam since November.
Law enforcement sources said Villafana was riding a C train at around 5:40 p.m. on Nov. 28 when he apparently got into an argument with a 17-year-old boy as the train neared Ralph Avenue. The dispute became heated as Villafana allegedly pulled out a handgun, firing several times in the car.
The hail of bullets, cops said, left the teen shot in the left hand and a 57-year-old bystander struck in the left ankle.
Police say Villafana ran out of the C train at the Ralph Avenue station, then fled topside to parts unknown.
Villafana was questioned on Tuesday inside of the 81st Precinct before being transferred to central booking, where he was escorted out of the stationhouse by detectives but refused to answer reporters’ questions as he was placed in the back of an unmarked police vehicle.
NYC Transit President Richard Davey commented on the arrest, charging that the influx of new cameras in the transit system has been instrumental in the battle to capture criminals.
“With hundreds more cameras being installed every month inside subway cars, it’s never been clearer that anyone targeting New Yorkers in transit will be identified, caught, and brought to face justice. I’ve said before that we’ve got more cameras than a Las Vegas casino and as this case demonstrates, they are positioned to assist investigators when necessary. Transit crime is down in this year, in part because of Governor Hochul’s commitment to the Cops, Cameras and Careprogram that’s delivering safer subways.”
Villafana faces a slew of charges, including two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and two counts of reckless endangerment.
