A man suspected of firing a gun on a Bronx street and striking a 2-year-old boy over the weekend was arrested Monday afternoon when he reported to a diversion program for a past offense, police and law enforcement sources said.
Freddy Flores, 20, was nabbed by the United States Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force in downtown Manhattan around 3 p.m. and was later charged with attempted murder, police and sources said.
He was busted by the federal agents in front of 100 Centre Street as he went to visit Manhattan Justice Opportunities for an appearance stemming from a plea deal he struck last year in a prior case, according to sources.
Flores allegedly fired the stray bullet that hit a toddler in the hip on Saturday on East Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse.
The boy was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Multiple shell casings were recovered at the scene, authorities said.
Flores was charged with attempted murder, three counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment, the NYPD said.
Flores was previously charged in March 2023 with grand larceny after he and an accomplice allegedly went fishing for checks in a mailbox on the Upper East Side, according to a past criminal complaint.
He later pleaded guilty to petit larceny, a misdemeanor, and while he received no jail time, he was required to do six sessions at Manhattan Justice Opportunities, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.
“Manhattan Justice Opportunities provides community-based diversion and sentencing options to reduce the use of incarceration and criminal convictions for people charged with both low-level offenses and felonies,” the program explained on its website.
