Jockey Suarez shot after allegedly breaking into apartment

Angel Suarez, a finalist for the 2012 Eclipse Award for top apprentice jockey, was in critical condition Monday after being shot in an apartment that he broke into near Parx racetrack in suburban Philadelphia on Sunday night and allegedly assaulting two people in it, according to Bensalem, Pa., police.

According to police, Suarez was shot twice by an unnamed resident of the apartment. The incident occurred after a woman in an upstairs apartment called 911 at 8:25 p.m. to complain about a man on her deck who was masturbating. The woman left the apartment after calling 911 to seek shelter in a neighboring apartment.

Police said Suarez, 21, entered the woman’s apartment after she called 911 but then quickly exited by jumping out of the second-floor bedroom window. He then gained entry to a nearby first-floor apartment and assaulted the two people inside before being shot twice by one of the residents and subdued by police who were just arriving on the scene.

Through Sunday, Suarez had won 58 races this year from 539 mounts. In 2012, riding almost exclusively at Pennsylvania tracks, he won 151 races and led the nation in purse earnings among apprentices with $3.4 million. He finished second in the Eclipse Award voting for apprentice jockeys that year.

A native of Puerto Rico, Suarez attended a jockeys’ school there. He won with his first mount in Puerto Rico in 2012 before coming to the United States.

According to police, Suarez will be charged with burglary, assault, “and related offenses” once his condition improves. Police said the man who shot Suarez had a legally registered firearm and is cooperating with police. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said.