A 12-year-old migrant boy busted in a violent subway mugging got out with a slap on the wrist — and is now accused of being part of a rowdy mob that attacked two NYPD cops in Times Square over the weekend.
The pint-sized perp is also believed to be the “ringleader” of a migrant robbery crew behind a string of muggings in Central Park in which several people had their cellphones, wallets and jewelry stolen last summer, law-enforcement sources said.
The baby-faced terror, then 11, made headlines when he was arrested that August — but faced no serious consequences thanks to the state’s lax juvenile justice system, the sources said.
“Is this what a sanctuary city is supposed to be?” one frustrated cop asked.
“One of these kids was 11 years old when he was the ringleader of that Central Park robbery pattern. What is it going to take for some of this policy to change when you have an 11, now 12-year-old, running around — or anybody — committing these crimes?” the source fumed.
“When is common sense going to prevail?” the cop added. “Don’t we have a moral obligation?”
Police believe the boy to be linked to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua via a youth crew offshoot known as Diablos de la 42, or Devils of 42nd Street, the sources said.
He was allegedly part of a group that tried to rob a pair of youngsters in the Crossroads of the World at around 7:35 p.m. Friday — prompting a pair of police officers to jump in to break it up, according to sources.
The mob turned on the cops, with shocking footage posted on social media showing the outnumbered officers dodging a barrage of objects, including what appeared to be a basketball, being hurled at them by the gangsters.
The mayhem unfolded as crowds had gathered for a boxing match in which Rolly Romero beat Ryan Garcia and in the Crossroads of the World.
Four suspects were busted, including the 12 year old — who was again released with a family court hearing date despite his growing rap sheet, sources said.
The cocky troublemakers took pictures of themselves flashing gang signs while handcuffed, and posted the snaps on social media when they were being held at the police precinct following their arrests, according to photos The Post obtained.
An NYPD spokesperson said that two of them — 16 and 17 years old boys — were charged with obstructing governmental administration, riot and menacing, with the older teen also charged with assault on a police officer, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. Sources said a 14-year-old boy was also charged.
None of their names were released because of their ages.
The cowardly attack was the second migrant beatdown on New York’s Finest in the tourist hot spot in less than two years.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that NYPD police officers face every day while working to keep New Yorkers safe,” a police spokesperson said in a statement Monday.
“Our detectives’ swift investigation led to the arrest of some of these individuals the day after the incident, and they continue to work tirelessly to identify and pursue those that are still outstanding,” the statement said.
“In accordance with the law, the NYPD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement.”
New York is a self-proclaimed sanctuary city, and has taken in thousands of migrants from the US border since 2022 — including gangbangers who blended in and snuck into the country.
According to federal law enforcement sources, one of the two older suspects in the Friday melee is from Venezuela and crossed the border in Texas in September 2022 as an unaccompanied child and was placed with a sponsor family.
The other crossed the US border illegally in February 2024 and was released due to a lack of detention space at the border. He was supposed to move in with his mother in New York City, the sources said.
Instead he and the other young migrants allegedly ended up in Times Square attacking NYPD cops.
Local law enforcement sources said at least three in the mob — including the 12 year old boy — were being sought for the string of Central Park robberies when Friday’s brawl broke out.
Investigators believe he was the ringleader of the group of around 12 migrant boys or young men that terrorized parkgoers in dozens of muggings starting last June, sources said.
The pipsqueak had been arrested August 13, 2024, as the main “aggressor” in the group mugging and beating of a passenger on the No. 7 train in Queens, police said.
The then-11-year-old was allegedly caught-on-video, along with his crew, running out of the subway station after the attack.
Police officials also said he was also caught on surveillance cameras using credit cards that were stolen during the series of Central Park robberies.
It’s not known what happened after his arrest, since the case was shipped off to family court, where proceedings are usually shrouded in secrecy.
What’s clear is that he was back on the streets Friday evening.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” one police source said. “We’re not helping anyone with these insane laws.”
State and city policies ended up essentially turning an 11-year-old into a ringleader of a robbery crew with no legal mechanism to protect the public or the kid,” the cop said.
“At 11, you should be worried about being a kid, not who you’re going to rob in Times Square.”
President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan pointed to the recent indictment of 27 local alleged TdA gangbangers as proof of “what ICE and the NYPD can do working together to keep our streets safe.”
“Now is not the time to pull back,” Homan said in a statement to The Post Monday. “Anyone that is foolish enough to attack an armed police officer poses a great risk to unarmed civilians.”
— Additional reporting by Amanda Wood
