A pair of Westchester cops are on modified duty and an accused child sex offender is facing new assault charges after an unexplained shooting inside a jail transport van, according to court records and police reports.
Investigators are now trying to piece together how 32-year-old Louis Soto, a prisoner from the Bronx, was allegedly able to sneak a handgun and cocaine into a Mount Vernon police van where he is accused of shooting another inmate on Thursday, according to a felony complaint.
The injured inmate, who was not identified, was struck in the leg and is expected to survive.
Meanwhile, the two Mount Vernon cops in the van have been taken off the streets while the probe carries on.
Soto was arrested Wednesday and charged with sex abuse of a minor, burglary and forcible touching, and was being transported to the Westchester County jail in Valhalla with other inmates — when all hell broke loose, according to prosecutors.
The unidentified officers were alerted when a shot rang out inside the van.
“The officers reported hearing a single gunshot in the rear of the van followed by a prisoner stating that he had been shot,” Mount Vernon Police Chief Marcel Olifiers told WABC Eyewitness News.
“This is a very serious incident and we take this very seriously,” the chief added.
Soto was hit with new assault charges and illegal weapons possession after the incident. He’s being held at the county jail pending arraignment in the case, records show.
Mount Vernon officials did not respond to a request for comment, but according to reports city police is coordinating with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office to probe the incident.
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