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The hit-run driver accused of ramming into an NYPD cop over the weekend is an illegal migrant who was busted for assault last month — and dumped back on the street despite an ICE detainer, sources said.
Eduardo Paulino, 31, of the Dominican Republic was already wanted by ICE when he allegedly plowed into the cop responding to a rowdy Saturday night gathering in the South Bronx, according to law-enforcement sources Tuesday.
Paulino, who entered the US in 2023, had a detainer lodged against him for final removal from the country after his crime a month earlier, sources said.
In that incident Sept. 14, he was accused of pummeling a stranger in a spat over parking, repeatedly punching the man, 29, in the face on East 139th Street near Willis Avenue in The Bronx, sources said.
But the charges Paulino faced – misdemeanor assault and harassment — were not bail-eligible under the state’s lax bail-reform laws, and he was released on his own recognizance, according to sources and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
The man Paulino allegedly punched – who was left with a bloody nose, bloody cuts on his mouth and scratches on his leg – was arrested as well for his role in the violent argument and faced the same charges, prosecutors said.
But even though Paulino was sought by ICE for detainment, he was allowed to walk free, sources said.
Paulino then found himself in trouble again when police responded to a 911 call about a large crowd and loud music at Garrison Avenue and Whittier Street around 7:20 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
As the uniformed cop attempted to investigate, Paulino allegedly hopped behind the wheel of a white Honda Pilot and drove it in reverse – prompting the officer to order him to stop, according to the criminal complaint.
Instead of complying, Paulino allegedly accelerated toward the officer, hitting his legs and hip, the court doc said.
Then he callously turned the front wheels in the direction of the on-duty cop and sped up a second time – again hitting the first responder in the leg and causing him to fall to the ground, the complaint said.
Before whizzing off, Paulino allegedly used the rear wheels of the SUV to hit the officer again, in the legs, prosecutors charged.
The injured cop was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries including severe pain, bruising, redness and swelling to his legs, ankles, knees, hips and back.
Paulino – who now faces a top charge of attempted murder – was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond during his Monday arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court.
The immigration detainer is still in effect, online city Department of Correction records show.
News of Paulino’s arrest came just as ICE announced Tuesday that it had lodged immigration detainers against the two Dominican nationals busted in connection with the brutal Bronx stabbing of an off-duty NYPD detective earlier this month.
D’Angelo Caraballo and Sneinder Mejia were ordered held without bail last week on attempted-murder charges in the Oct. 2 assault on hero cop Jose Mercedes.
Mercedes was stabbed 10 times even though he repeatedly identified himself as a cop – and then chased his attackers for two blocks while barefoot despite his injuries.
“New York City’s refusal to honor ICE detainers and its repeated release of removable aliens has grave and unacceptable consequences, including for the very law enforcement officers sworn to protect this city,” ICE New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo said in a Tuesday statement about that case.
“When public safety is politicized and cooperation with federal immigration enforcement is rejected, dangerous individuals will remain in our communities despite repeated encounters with law enforcement. New Yorkers deserve policies that prevent future harm rather than create opportunities for it.”