A Brooklyn man was arraigned Monday, July 31, in Queens Supreme Court on an indictment charging him with murder and five counts of attempted murder after allegedly going on a shooting rampage while riding a scooter through Richmond Hill, leaving an 86-year-old grandfather dead and wounding two others on the morning of July 8.
Thomas Abreu, 25, of Elton Street in Cypress Hills, was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant after he was indicted by a Queens grand jury on July 19 on a 14-count indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, five counts of attempted murder in the second degree, two counts of assault in the first degree, three counts of attempted assault in the first degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.
According to the charges, Abreu allegedly began his reign of terror around 11:26 a.m. on July 8, at 108th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, where he was observed by video surveillance cameras and an eyewitness riding a scooter and wearing a green shirt and a fanny pack on his shoulder. He approached 86-year-old Hamod Saeidi and shot him in the back. Saeidi, a married father of six, was rushed by EMS to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he later died.
At approximately the same time and at the same location, Abreu, still riding a scooter, fired at a pedestrian walking a dog on the sidewalk and at another pedestrian crossing the street. Neither pedestrian was struck. The shootings were captured on video surveillance, according to the charges.
Moments later, video surveillance showed Abreu on 126th Street and Hillside Avenue. He pulled his scooter up next to a parked minivan and shot the driver at close range once in the head. The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and is currently in serious condition, the charges state.
Abreu was also seen on video surveillance in the same green shirt at approximately 11:36 a.m. at the intersection of 131st Street and Jamaica Avenue. Riding his scooter, he fired multiple times at a man who was also on a scooter. The man was not struck during the incident.
Approximately one minute later, Abreu was observed on video surveillance on 134th Street and Jamaica Avenue. Still riding his scooter, he approached a pedestrian crossing the street and shot the victim in the shoulder. The victim was treated at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
Abreu was arrested at approximately 1 p.m. after NYPD officers from the 113th and 103rd Precincts saw him at Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue riding his scooter wearing a green shirt and fanny pack. He was apprehended after a foot pursuit. Police recovered a loaded pistol with an extended magazine to hold ammunition, as well as a fanny pack containing additional ammunition. Abreu is alleged to have also shot a pedestrian in Brooklyn earlier that same day.
“This is a chilling case of brazen, random violence for no apparent reason other than to shed blood on our streets,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The defendant will be held to account and we will seek justice for the victims of these senseless attacks.”
Justice Pandit-Durant ordered Abreu to return to court on Sept. 26. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
