BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — The NYPD officers who arrested a 14-year-old boy accused of shooting and killing a man on a B15 bus were honored as "Cops of the Month" by the 79th Precinct's community council on Wednesday.
Sgt. Kieran Fox and Officer Lucas Organista were patrolling nearby Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Greene Avenue when they got the call about the shooting on March 20.
Hearing the description, both officers rushed to the scene and stopped the alleged shooter, Kahton Anderson, seconds after he exited the bus, said the precinct's commanding officer Deputy Inspector Michael J. LiPetri.
"It happened very fast," LiPetri said. "It was an amazing collar. He had just obviously shot somebody and they were cool as could be."
After a quick search, the officers found the gun used in the shooting along with a spent shell casing, LiPetri said.
Police say Anderson, a suspected member of the Stack Money Goons from the Tompkins Houses, was sitting on the bus around 6:20 p.m. last Thursday when members of the rival Twan Family from Marcy Houses boarded the vehicle.
One of the men approached Anderson and the 14-year-old allegedly opened fire with a .357 Magnum, missing the alleged intended target and killing Angel Rojas, a 39-year-old father of two, police said.
Anderson was charged as an adult and indicted for second degree murder, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said.
The precinct has seen an increase in gang violence, said LiPetri, who asked Bed-Stuy residents to come forward with any information.
"We can't do it by ourselves," LiPetri said. "If the community sees something, as small as you might think it is, it really will help us."
Three other officers were also honored as "Cops of the Month."
Officer Timothy Evans and Sgt. Matthew Monkowski were awarded for stopping a serial car thief.
The two officers were investigating the theft of a Honda Odyssey earlier this month when they spotted a man matching a surveillance video description sitting in a car nearby.
The officers questioned and ultimately arrested Benjamin Orenstein, 41, for stealing the Odyssey, as well as for breaking into another car, LiPetri said. He pleaded to two years, according to the commanding officer.
Officer Sal Bayoumi was also honored for making four arrests— all by remembering the suspects faces from wanted photos.
Bayoumi, newly assigned to the 79th precinct, arrested four separate men from memory for crimes including robbery, car robbery and domestic violence, a feat the commanding officer called "uncanny."
"Four different times," LiPetri said. "Some people don't do this in their whole career."
