May 13, 2021 (UPI) — A man accused of shooting and injuring three bystanders, including a 4-year-old girl, in New York City’s Times Square was arrested in Florida on Wednesday, law enforcement officials said.
Farrakhan Muhammad was taken into custody in near Jacksonville, Fla., after he and an unidentified woman were confronted by authorities at a McDonald’s as they ate in their car.
Law enforcement officials said Muhammad’s girlfirend, who has not been arrested, was being questioned to see if she knew he was wanted and whether she was knowingly helping him to hide.
Detectives initially tracked Muhammad after the shooting Saturday by checking cameras that showed him leaving Times Square, going to a hotel and changing clothes before leaving with his girlfriend. Muhammad and the woman were then seen at a Walmart in Fayetteville, N.C., on Tuesday.
New York City Police Department officials said detectives believe Muhammad was trying to shoot his brother on Saturday afternoon on West 45th Street and 7th Avenue but missed.
The shots struck 4-year-old Skye Martinez in the leg, while Wendy Magrinat, 23, was hit in the thigh and Marcela Aldana, 43, was hit in the foot, officials said.
Muhammad was previously known to NYPD for illegal vending near Times Square, including a harassment charge for pushing a tourist in March of last year.
Police said they have spoken to Muhammad’s brother who said they were arguing over space where they were both illegally selling goods at the time of the shooting.
Details were not immediately released on the charges Muhammad would face or when he would return to New York.
