A moped-riding Manhattan crook who was fatally shot after pulling a gun on an off-duty cop during a botched robbery was an illegal migrant involved in three other violent thefts minutes earlier, according to sources.
Lahione Soto, 30, of the Dominican Republic, was shot three times in the chest by an NYPD officer outside a residential building on West 173rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights late Sunday.
Soto, who snuck across the US border in El Paso, Texas, in June 2024 and had tattooed writing along his chin and a massive rose on his neck, was one of two moped-riding criminals who ambushed the off-duty officer, according to sources.
According to sources, the migrant and his accomplice, who is still missing, committed three other gunpoint robberies in the 13 minutes leading up to the fatal encounter with the cop.
According to sources, the string of violent heists began at 9:35 p.m. at the rear of 4040 Broadway, when Soto and an accomplice on another two-wheeler stole a 27-year-old man’s moped at gunpoint.
“Get off the bike, or I will shoot you,” one of the thugs hissed at the victim, according to sources.
Five minutes later, the duo robbed a married couple outside 3800 Broadway, making a similar threat, according to sources.
“Give me your necklace, or I will kill you,” one of the hoods threatened the 52-year-old wife before stealing her jewelry.
The pair pistol-whipped the woman’s husband, smashing him in the head and knee with the weapon before speeding off, sources said.
Around 9:50 p.m., the crooks then approached a 55-year-old man down the block — with one of them again warning, “Give me what you got, or I will shoot you” — and grabbed his gold bracelet and a gold chain at gunpoint before taking off, sources said.
Just minutes later, the duo approached an off-duty cop outside the apartment complex and inquired, “Does Steve live here?” according to sources.
Soto then pulled out his gun, prompting the officer to draw his own and fire three shots into the migrant’s chest.
Cops performed CPR on the migrant, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to police.
His accomplice fled on a moped while wearing a black GAP hooded sweatshirt, according to sources.
A loaded 9mm firearm was found at the scene.
At least some of the jewelry stolen during the moped criminals’ previous Sunday night robberies was discovered on Soto’s body, sources said.
According to police, the off-duty cop received treatment at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
“Every day, whether on or off duty, NYPD officers answered the call to protect and serve. “We witnessed that firsthand tonight,” Deputy Chief Eric Pagan said in the aftermath.
