The teen busted for allegedly opening fire during a gang battle on a Bronx street, narrowly missing a little girl, was already home Saturday after making bail — infuriating those shaken by the gunplay in their neighborhood.
Edgar Garcia, 16, of East Harlem, was arraigned Friday night on charges of attempted murder, attempted assault, reckless endangerment, weapons possession and harassment, prosecutors said.
Authorities contend Garcia, an alleged member of Los Vagos — a Mexican gang with a stronghold on 116th Street in Manhattan — was targeting a 19-year-old man and four others believed to belong to a rival Bronx gang, Los Cholos.
The shooter was caught on camera on Feb. 22 aiming at the group near the corner of Gerard Avenue and 167th Street. As he popped off three rounds in their direction, the young girl in bright pink leggings tore off in the opposite direction and ducked for cover. No one was hurt.
Garcia was charged as an adult, though his case will proceed in the youth part of Bronx Criminal Court.
Bail was set at $25,000 bond or $10,000 cash or credit card by Justice John P. Collins — though prosecutors had asked for $100,000.
Garcia made the bail shortly afterward, though it wasn’t immediately known who put up the money.
Those living near the Concourse block where the mayhem unfolded were outraged.
“The next time he might not miss. And the sad thing is he might hit an innocent child … I say no bail, or set it so high that he can’t pay it,” said one 36-year-old mom who declined to give her name for fear of her family’s safety.
Another neighbor said, “Giving him bail is like giving him permission to do it again, like it didn’t matter. The judge should have been as outraged as the community.’’
When she told her daughter about it, the child cried, she said, “because it makes her nervous.”
Garcia’s lawyer, Roger Asmar, insisted his client is innocent, is not a gang member, and doesn’t own a gun.
Asmar said his client will plead not guilty.
“How can you look at the video and look at my client … you can’t tell who is who,” the lawyer said.
“He lives at home with both his parents, brother and sister and his uncle — great family.”
Additional reporting by Ruth Weissmann