Long Beach teen shot during brawl

Long Beach police are investigating a shooting that occurred at the Long Island Rail Road station just before 4 p.m. on Monday, after a heated argument among a group of Long Beach teens.

Police Commissioner Mike Tangney said the incident occurred at 3:40 p.m., when three teenagers approached and confronted 17-year-old Rodney Arnold in what Tangney characterized as an ongoing dispute between the teens.

Tangney said that some angry words were exchanged and a fight ensued. Arnold then allegedly drew a .22 caliber revolver and fired several shots, striking one of the teens — a 17-year-old sophomore at Long Beach High School — in the torso. The shots could be heard from nearby police headquarters, and police officers and detectives rushed to the scene, Tangney said.

“We heard the pops — we are trained for that and we immediately responded to the scene … no one had to be told to go,” he said.

Sgt. Eric Cregeen, the department’s public information officer, said that the bus depot and train station was crowded with commuters and the shots sent people scurrying, with many running into police headquarters across the street.

“I looked out the window … and I saw a group of kids fighting, actively engaged in a fistfight,” Cregeen said. “When we heard the shots, people were running away from the area and we ushered them into police headquarters. As we started running out the door, I heard another shot go off. It’s miracle that no one got hurt or hit by a stray bullet.”

Tangney said that police chased the teens, all Long Beach residents, and Arnold was apprehended at the bus depot. “We had all four within minutes of the incident,” Tangney said. “The other three … were chased to the east side of the train station at Riverside Boulevard.”

Police said that the victim, whose name was not released, was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, but his injuries were not life-threatening. “Because it was such a low-caliber bullet, it really didn’t do any damage,” Tangney said.