Munchy migrant bites three NYPD officers in three separate incidents after Target shoplifting: prosecutors

Metro

By Steven Hirsch, Joe Marin And Kyle Schnitzer

He has a taste for the best of New York.

A migrating serial shoplifter bit three NYPD officers in three separate incidents after he was arrested for stealing clothes from a Manhattan Target, it was revealed in court Tuesday.

Ysmael Qintero, a Venezuelan migrant with 18 shoplifting counts since December 2023, was ordered held on $50,000 bail on two counts of assaulting a police officer and petit larceny after allegedly biting the officers last week last – leaving two Manhattan police officers injured,” prosecutors said.

The snacking migrant first set his fangs on a police officer after stealing three pairs of jeans and putting them in his backpack as he left the Target on West 44th St. and 10th Avenue around 3:40 p.m. on June 9, sources said.

Qintero allegedly bit the officer’s forearm and elbow with so much force that blood flowed from the wound while he was in transit to Midtown, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney said. Olivia Stevens, to Judge Rachel Pauley of Manhattan Criminal Court.

Just eight minutes later, a hungry Qintero took another bite from another officer – this time on his leg and forearm – while inside the police station at 3:48 p.m. same day, Stevens said. Fortunately, the officer was “only spared because the defendant bit him through his pants,” Stevens added.

Qintero was then transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital where another officer monitoring Qintero allegedly saw the suspect hit his head against the wall and spit in the hospital.

When the officer attempted to intervene, the Dracula-like migrant bit the officer’s right ring finger, causing significant pain and bruising to the officer’s finger around 7:14 p.m., according to the criminal complaint.

“The defendant had previously bitten two separate officers multiple times earlier in the day and had bitten another officer at the hospital,” Foster said.

Two of the three officers who were bitten received treatment for their injuries, said prosecutors, who asked the judge to set bail at $75,000 cash.

Qintero’s attorney, Evan Rock of the Legal Aid Society, argued for his client to be released under supervision so he could receive treatment.

“He’s basically a person in crisis,” Foster said, adding that Qintero is homeless and suffers from substance abuse disorders.

The defense lawyer tried to defend Qintero’s outburst at the hospital, saying he suffered his own injuries during his arrest – but the judge didn’t believe it.

“When you were arrested in this case, your response was to assault multiple police officers, including officers who were trying to stop you from harming yourself in a New York hospital,” the judge told the snapper.

Qintero has remained on the streets despite 18 petty theft arrests, one misdemeanor conviction and five failures to appear in court over the past seven months. These include a May 16 arrest for allegedly stealing a bottle of cologne from a display at the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street, sources said.

He is due back in court on June 14.