New Rochelle Man Charged With Attempted Murder Of Federal Officer

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A New Rochelle man was accused of trying to kill a federal law enforcement officer in broad daylight in downtown Yonkers. Darren Smith, 24, of New Rochelle, was charged with one count of attempting to murder a federal officer.

He was also charged with using a deadly weapon to interfere with the performance of a federal officer's official duties and discharging a firearm in the course of a crime of violence.

Audrey Strauss, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Smith fired a handgun in Getty Square, a downtown commercial hub in Yonkers, and, in disregard for human life, tried to direct his fire at a federal law enforcement officer.

"Our office will work to ensure that those who put our law enforcement partners in danger are held to account," she said.

Yonkers Police Commissioner John J. Mueller said it was one of the most depraved and reckless acts he has ever witnessed in his 28 years in law enforcement.

According to prosecutors, on Friday, after police attempted to stop Smith's car, he fled on foot with a handgun. As officers, including a Federal Bureau of Investigation task force officer, tried to arrest him, he fired his handgun in Getty Square in Yonkers, authorities said.

While the FBI officer tried to keep Smith from firing again, Smith was able to turn the gun in the officer's direction and continued to fire, prosecutors said.

In the course of the struggle, the task force officer fractured his fingers, sprained his knee and suffered several abrasions to his right hand, police said.

The attempted murder and use of a deadly weapon charges both carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The discharging a firearm charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison to run consecutive to any other sentence that has been imposed.

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