Two migrants accused of attacking a pair of New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers were cut loose without bail after Manhattan prosecutors agreed to let them walk, according to a local report.
Brian Joseph, 24, and Jose Gonzalez, 19, were arrested Sunday after they allegedly jumped two cops — along with a third suspect — on Eighth Avenue shortly after 9:50 p.m., the New York Post reported.
An NYPD officer on traffic patrol first approached the suspects in front of the Row NYC Hotel after allegedly witnessing Gonzalez ride recklessly on a moped. He asked him for his identification.
When Gonzalez did not provide his ID — which sources told the Post he did not have — the cop attempted to arrest him. That was when a fight broke out.
Joseph, Gonzalez, and a third suspect allegedly bit one cop on the arm and wrist and kicked the moped on top of another, causing the latter to suffer from a contusion and scratched cornea.
While the first two suspects were arrested, the third has yet to be identified, as he ran off after allegedly kicking the officers.
Joseph and Gonzalez have since both been charged with assault and assault on a police officer but were set free on Monday.
Court transcripts that the Post obtained reveal that prosecutors told the judge that the district attorney’s office “would be consenting to the defendant’s release on his own recognizance.”
The judge agreed and ruled that both suspects would remain free pending their next court appearances in September.
A spokesman for the state’s Office of Court Administration, Al Baker, declined to comment on the specifics of the cases but gave a statement to the Post.
“We don’t comment on bail decisions except to say that in cases like these in New York, judges have discretion in making bail decisions in accordance with the law and based solely on an individualized assessment of a defendant’s risk of flight,” Baker said.
Other NYPD officers who spoke with the outlet under the condition of anonymity were angry at the alleged cop-bashers being set free.
“What kind of message is this sending to the public?” one Manhattan cop said. “They are basically saying anyone in a blue uniform is a human piñata.”
Another officer said the soft-on-crime policies were “allowing open war on cops.”
“Today, they bite and kick a cop, and, tomorrow, they take a shot at cops,” the officer said. “If there are no consequences, they are only encouraging people to attack cops.”
Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Patrick Hendry said the suspects’ release shows “zero common sense and zero concern for the safety of cops on the streets.”
“We’ve seen dozens of significant assaults on police officers in Manhattan this year, and there’s a clear pattern in those cases — prosecutors and judges are only doing their job when they’re in the spotlight,” Hendry told the Post.
“We will keep turning out in court to show the entire justice system that their actions are getting cops hurt and putting all New Yorkers at risk.”
