Shooter in AOC's crime district bursts into a crowded barbershop and opens fire

A group of armed suspects stormed into a hair salon in Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's New York City district on Friday and opened fire on a man – sending workers and customers running for cover, according to a report dramatic new video shows.

The suspects were initially stopped by one of the barbers, a legal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, who confronted the trio and wrestled with one of the gunmen, giving the fleeing man enough time to reach safety in the back of the barbershop. The hairdresser, father of seven children, is hailed as a hero by local officials.

The shocking incident, which sources said was gang-related, occurred on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, a busy shopping area that has been plagued by open-air prostitution and other forms of crime for years and where some residents have come to terms with the neighborhood Quarters compare world country.

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Friday's video shows a man walking into the Langumas El Cache hair salon on Roosevelt Ave. around 5:45 p.m. It's 103-17 when the suspects suddenly storm into the bar.

The attacked man runs to the back of the hair salon for safety reasons, where the suspects are then confronted by local barber Rafael Abreu, who pushes them back to the front door.

But one of the suspects, who is armed, lunges at his target and pulls out a gun.

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Abreu grabs the armed suspect and a scuffle ensues before the perpetrator passes his weapon to one of the other suspects.

As the other workers and customers make a beeline for the door, the newly armed man, wearing a black hoodie and black pants, walks to the back of the barbershop and fires at least one shot.

The trio then fled the building and are still at large, police told Fox News Digital. The man who was attacked was not injured and no injuries were reported in connection with the incident. There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Hiram Monserrate, a former Democratic New York state senator and local Democratic district leader, said the shooting was just the latest incident in the crime-ridden neighborhood.

“This shooting … is a stark reminder of how dangerous Roosevelt Avenue has become. Our local barber-turned-hero Rafael Abreu deserves the key to the city for extraordinary bravery and saving lives,” said Monserrate.

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Hiram Monserrate and the barbers after Saturday's shooting (Provided by Hiram Monserrate)

“A real New Yorker who put his life on the line for a stranger. Watch in real time as Rafael protects the target of armed gangsters and his colleagues at the Roosevelt Avenue Barbershop where he works.”

Fox News Digital has reported extensively on the level of crime in the neighborhood. The area is known as a red light district, where scantily clad women solicit sex on sidewalks while illegal vendors flood the trash-filled streets. Overall crime in the 115th Precinct has increased nearly 18% over the past two years, according to NYPD data.

Things have gotten so bad that New York Mayor Eric Adams last month launched “Operation Restore Roosevelt,” which aims to crack down on crime and restore law and order to the CBD by the end of the year. The operation consists of more than 200 additional NYPD officers and state troopers patrolling the area.

But Monserrate warns that despite a large police presence, the Roosevelt Avenue corridor remains “under criminal siege from cartels and gangs.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district is teeming with illegal prostitutes who line the streets at all hours of the day and night, brazenly soliciting passersby for sex. (Left to right: Provided by Ramses Frias, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, Sarah Stier/Getty Images for QBFC.)

“The fight to reclaim our streets continues. These criminal elements have weapons. You could be on your way to the 7 Train or getting a haircut and caught in the crossfire,” Monserrate said.

“This is real. If Rafael Abreu hadn't stood up and risked his life, there would have been at least one injured and possibly more. He is a true hero that all New Yorkers can be proud of.”

The hair salon is located in New York's 14th District and is represented by Ocasio-Cortez. Her office did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment about the incident or any crime stories related to Roosevelt Avenue this year.

According to Monserrate, Ocasio-Cortez does not support local anti-crime efforts.

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Prostitutes line a street in Queens (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

Ramon Ramirez-Baez, founder of the local security group Let's Improve Roosevelt Avenue, said the incident shows the need to maintain the additional police presence on a permanent basis.

“We understand that without security we have nothing,” Ramirez-Baez said.

“We recognize that these officers must remain on Roosevelt Avenue beyond the 90 days. This young man is lucky to have met Rafael Abreu’s workplace.”

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