A total of seven persons have been indicted for attacking the New York Police Department (NYPD) officers at Times Square, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday during a joint press conference with New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Yohenry Brito, 24, was charged with assault, obstruction, and evidence tampering.
Four others, 19-year-old Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 21-year-old Wilson Juarez, 19-year-old Kelvin Servita Arocha, and 24-year-old Yorman Reveron, were charged with assault and obstructing governmental administration.
The other two suspects have not been identified.
Mr. Bragg strongly condemned the attacks during the press conference.
“This assault sickens me and outrages me. We all rely on our members of the NYPD every day to keep us safe and keep this the safest big city in America,” he said. “I do not tolerate attacks on our police officers.”
Mr. Bragg has faced pressure since four others who had allegedly beaten police were released without bail, drawing criticism from New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. He defended himself, saying more investigation was needed to tell who did what during that incident.
Mr. Bragg said Thursday that he’s confident with the indictments after a thorough joint investigation between the NYPD and his office.
“Today’s indictment follows a painstaking joint investigation between the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office,” he told reporters. “I stand here today confident that we have identified the roles of every person who broke the law and participated in this heinous attack.”
The NYPD is still looking for two other suspects who were at the scene and has asked the public to help.
Anyone with information about these two suspects and the assault is encouraged to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The Incident
A group of youths—reportedly all illegal immigrants—attacked two NYPD police officers at Times Square at around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 27.
The officers were attempting to disperse a disorderly group in front of 220 West 42 Street in Manhattan when a physical altercation started, the NYPD said.
Several individuals repeatedly kicked and punched the officers’ heads and bodies when they were trying to take an individual into custody.
The officers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
Initially, police arrested five men in connection with the incident. Four were released without bail later and only one suspect, Mr. Brito, was ordered held on bail in Rikers Island, New York City’s largest jail.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell criticized the decision to release four of the suspects without bail, calling it “reprehensible,” and saying the “cowards” should be in jail.
“Do you want to know why our cops are getting assaulted? There are no consequences,” Mr. Chell told reporters during a news conference.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also expressed disappointment during a Feb. 2 press conference that the suspects involved in the assault on police officers were released on bail.
“All I know is that an assault on a police officer means you should be sitting in jail,” she said.
4 Arrested in Arizona
Several illegal immigrants believed to be involved in a separate officer beating in New York have been arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, according to an official.
A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that, on Feb. 5, special agents from multiple law enforcement agencies arrested four individuals on a bus from El Paso, Texas, on its way to the Greyhound bus station in Phoenix.
“The subjects were believed to be fleeing the state of New York from their suspected involvement in a coordinated assault on multiple New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officers,” said Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, ICE acting deputy press secretary.
Ms. O'Keefe added that the four were transferred to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to be processed for immigration violations.
Special agents from ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Border Patrol participated in the operation.
It’s unclear if those arrested in Arizona are the same persons released without bail in New York.
Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
