What you should know
- District Attorney Alvin Bragg refused early Friday afternoon to answer questions from our sister network NBC New York about the case and why several immigrants accused of assaulting police were released without bail. He did not respond when asked if he thought not applying for bail was a mistake, but instead he walked past reporters without saying much.
- Bragg, apparently caught off guard by the questions, offered only one response: “We’ll talk in court.”
- Bragg and Hochul met behind closed doors, but he was noticeably absent when the governor emerged for a news conference with several other district attorneys from Queens, Brooklyn and Westchester. Hochul confirmed that she discussed the incident with Bragg and added that she was “confident that more charges will be filed.”
NEW YORK — Nearly a week after two New York City Police officers were injured by a group of attackers in Times Square, the Manhattan district attorney initially dodged questions about why his office did not request the bail for several of the suspects involved — some of whom have since fled the state, sources previously said.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg refused early Friday afternoon to answer questions from our sister network NBC New York about the case and why several immigrants accused of assaulting police were released without bail. He did not respond when asked if he thought not applying for bail was a mistake, but instead he walked past reporters without saying much.
Bragg, apparently caught off guard by the questions, offered only one response: “We’ll talk in court.”
The district attorney was attending a law enforcement conference to which journalists were invited by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She has made it clear that she does not agree with the decision to release the suspects without bail and has called for the attackers to be deported. Hochul said the problem was not about weak bail laws, but rather a lack of use of existing laws.
“All I know is that an assault on a police officer means you should be in jail,” Hochul said.
Bragg and Hochul met behind closed doors, but he was noticeably absent when the governor emerged for a news conference with several other district attorneys from Queens, Brooklyn and Westchester. Hochul confirmed that she discussed the incident with Bragg and added that she was “confident that more charges will be filed.”
Hours later, Bragg called an early afternoon press conference to try to clarify his position, insisting that he would not tolerate attacks on police after days of criticism and silence from his office.
“We do not tolerate or accept assaults on police officers. I saw the tape this week, despicable behavior and I was sickened and outraged,” Bragg said.
The embattled district attorney said his office was investigating new video to identify what role each individual may have played in the group assault. Bragg told reporters that he did not apply for bail because he is proceeding cautiously to ensure that the right suspects in the case are identified.
“That’s what it takes to secure a conviction, get accountability and send the right people to jail. That’s what we’ve been working on all week,” Bragg said, noting who was “considered to have committed the most serious acts.” The crimes are currently at Rikers.”
He also said the office received more information than after Saturday and expects to get more information in the coming days. What’s not clear is whether Bragg has any doubts or concerns about whether the right suspects have been arrested and charged, even if they were not held on bail.
So far, seven suspects have been arrested for the attack and police officials have said at least 13 people were involved in the attack on officers. At least one suspect has had bail set and is being held at Rikers.
Several of the suspects are immigrants, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said, while police were familiar with some from past incidents.
“Some of them live in the migrant shelter, they obviously seem to be immigrants. I don’t know when they got here. Some of them already have long police records,” Chell said. “These individuals who were arrested [o] They will be arrested, they should be charged, they should be sitting at Rikers waiting for their day in front of the judge. “Plain and simple.”
Federal authorities blame military agents for preventing Border Patrol who were seeking to rescue a group of migrants in danger while crossing the Rio Grande.
CONTROVERSY OVER RELEASE OF ACCUSED
Multiple sources familiar with the matter said they believe four of those initially arrested and released after court boarded a bus under aliases and headed toward the California-Mexico border.
Federal officials said that in many cases, New York officials do not alert them when an undocumented defendant is being released from court or jail. A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said bail was not requested in part because they were still determining which defendants committed which acts during the assault.
An official with the New York Office of Judicial Administration said that they “were not aware of the whereabouts of the defendants, but they are required to return to Court on the scheduled dates”; His next court date in New York was scheduled for March 4.
Police do not track crimes committed by undocumented residents, but arrest records show that residents living in 30 of the city’s 200 migrant shelters have been arrested more than 1,200 in the past year. City records show top crimes include petit larceny, assault, grand larceny, endangering the welfare of a child and robbery.
Terry Monahan, former chief of the New York Police Department and current consultant for our sister network NBC New York, said that while the vast majority of immigrants come to the United States in search of a better life, crime is a growing problem.
“A lot of times it shows that it’s that individual’s first arrest because it’s the first time they’re here. And they send them back out on the streets to do it again,” Monahan said.
Governor Kathy Hochul has shared harsh words for the arrested migrants.
“Get them all, send them back,” the Democrat said Thursday. “You don’t touch our police officers, you don’t touch anyone.”
The lack of consequences for the suspects has prompted a police reaction.
“Why aren’t they in jail right now? They brutally attacked a police officer and a lieutenant. Our criminal justice system is upside down,” said Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY OF THE ATTACK
Authorities say the fight caught on camera broke out as police officers were trying to break up a group of immigrants outside a shelter on 42nd Street, steps from the New Amsterdam Theater. Police officials said Thursday that at least 13 people are believed to have been involved in the attack.
Multiple law enforcement sources said it all started when a couple of people approached officers and told them there was a disorderly group, causing trouble.
The police went to check it out and the situation escalated quickly. The video obtained by our sister network NBC New York shows the moments before the beating, when a police officer and a lieutenant were speaking to the group.
When they put their hands on a person, the officers were suddenly surrounded and stumbled across 42nd Street, where the officers fell to the ground, before being kicked, stomped, and punched in the face and head.
A lieutenant suffered a cut to the face. The other agent has wounds on the side of his body.
“I’m shocked by this. The city has had enough,” said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell. “The shame of this is that they are trying to keep this city safe and they are attacked by eight cowards who kick them in the face and throw cheap blows at them.”
Those arrested have been charged with assault or attempted assault on a police officer and group assault. Several are also accused of obstructing government administration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have not commented on whether they will attempt to detain the defendants in this case. Camille Joseph Varlack, Mayor Adams’ chief of staff, said New York’s sanctuary city status does not prevent police from coordinating with ICE.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Violence in migrant shelters has been a growing problem lately, prompting demands for new quality of life initiatives in certain neighborhoods. The city’s largest shelter is located on Randall’s Island, where a deadly fight broke out earlier this month. Three people were indicted Tuesday in that case.
2024-02-03 03:44:12
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