NEW YORK (AP) — The confrontation begins when New York police officers order a group of migrants to leave a bustling block in Times Square. It gets worse when one of these men utters an insult in Spanish as he slowly walks away: “They look like Ugly Betty.” A second later, one of the police officers pushes him against a wall.
Body camera footage released Thursday shows the chaotic moments leading up to the confrontation between police and migrants, who are seen kicking police officers and trying to prevent them from arresting the man, identified by prosecutors as Yohenry Brito.
The video was released hours after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment of six more people for their alleged participation in the January 27 altercation, which has unleashed weeks of reactions and a collaboration of several police agencies to find those involved.
In the new images released by the prosecution, the agents can be seen approaching a group of people, who are standing on the edge of a sidewalk in front of a migrant shelter, and ordering them: “Come on” and “move.” .
As the men disperse, Brito makes the unflattering comparison, using the name from the popular television show “Ugly Betty.” Moments later, an officer grabs him by the lapel of his yellow jacket and pushes him toward an entrance.
Brito asks why they are stopping him, tries to escape and is knocked down by the police. As the passing tourists look on, several of those present join the brawl and kick the agents to try to free Brito.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news conference Thursday that officers approached the group because they were blocking the sidewalk.
“Everyone disperses except Brito,” Kenny said. He “turned around and confronted the police officers.”
The footage shows Brito trailing behind the group, pushing a baby stroller, but ultimately apparently complying with police orders to leave the scene before engaging in a confrontation with officers.
In addition to the seven people already facing charges, police said there were at least five other suspects they are seeking to interview, based on an investigation that included reviewing body camera footage.
Bragg also acknowledged that some of the men who were originally accused of assaulting police appear to have had only minimal involvement in the brawl.
“We must ensure that we identify and charge those individuals who actually committed criminal acts in this matter,” Bragg stated. “The only thing worse than not bringing perpetrators to justice would be involving innocent people in the criminal justice system.”
One of the people who was originally accused of assaulting police officers, Wilson Juarez, 21, is believed to have seen the fight from a distance and did not get involved. He has since been charged with tampering with physical evidence, prosecutors said, because he allegedly switched his jacket with that of a man who fled from police after the brawl.
“His name and photograph were circulated all over the media, along with allegations that he assaulted a police officer,” Juárez’s attorney, Adrienne D. Edward, told The Associated Press. “The video does not show that my client assaulted a police officer.”
Another person who had been widely reported to have participated in the fight, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, did not physically touch any of the police officers, but allegedly kicked a police radio, making him an “accomplice” to the assault. , according to Bragg.
A third person who made the news for making obscene gestures at cameras after his appearance has not yet been indicted by a grand jury, a district attorney’s office spokesman said, as prosecutors are still working to confirm if he really participated in the brawl.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has linked the incident to what he called Thursday an “apparent crime wave” driven by the city’s migrant population. He has said that only a “small minority” of the newcomers were engaging in illicit behavior, but he has since been the subject of accusations of using the incident in Times Square for political purposes.
“The mayor has used this horrendous incident to score cheap political points at a time when his popularity ratings are really low,” said Ana María Archilla, co-director of the Working Families Party of New York. “He has discredited migrants and created a political environment that facilitates justice into one’s own hands.”
Police and city officials have not released data to support the claim of a “crime wave.” Most crime categories have been declining since migrants began arriving in large numbers 18 months ago.
A few days ago, members of the Guardian Angels were seen attacking a man in Times Square during a live broadcast. The founder of that citizen participation group, Curtis Sliwa, falsely identified the man as a “migrant.”
Bragg said Thursday that his office is investigating what he called a “disturbing” incident.
Associated Press writer Cedar Attanasio contributed to this report.
What others are reading…
2024-02-09 02:52:10
#Body #camera #images #show #moments #brawl #migrants #police
