Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg indicts seven migrants over attack on NYPD cops in Times Square
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is charging seven migrants accused of attacking two New York City Police Department officers in Times Square.
Bragg announced the charges Wednesday afternoon, detailing the actions of each attacker and explaining why he filed charges against them.
Up to fourteen men are believed to have been involved in the attack, although NYPD officials have repeatedly revised the number of suspects.
Earlier on Wednesday, the NYPD announced they were hunting two more migrants believed to be involved in a brutal attack on two NYPD officers in Times Square.
During the January 27 attack, one of the migrants was seen wearing a red shirt and white hat. Police say he kicked the officers at least three times before throwing a punch.
The new second suspect wanted for assault was reportedly seen kicking officers while wearing a black puffer jacket and red baseball hat.
Before Wednesday’s indictment, six suspects had been charged over the incident, which was caught on camera and sparked angry nationwide calls for deportations.
Five of the six initially charged were released without bail, while only one suspect – Yohenry Brito, 24 – remained behind bars.
Four of the five released – Darwin Gomez, Kelvin Servita, Wilson Juarez and Yorman Reveron – are believed to have fled New York City on a bus to California.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announces he will charge seven migrants in connection with an attack on NYPD officers in Times Square that was caught on camera
One of the migrants wears a red shirt and white hat during the January 27 attack. Police say he kicked the officers at least three times before throwing a punch
The new second suspect wanted for assault was reportedly seen kicking officers while wearing a black puffer jacket and red baseball hat
Police sources previously said four of the migrants charged in the Times Square attack may have fled the city after using false names to obtain tickets from a charity.
ICE initially said it had apprehended the four suspects in Phoenix, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office has denied that they are the suspects believed to have fled.
DailyMail.com has contacted ICE, the district attorney’s office and the Border Patrol for comment on this story.
“The four individuals they took into custody were not involved in the New York City investigation,” a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
“To date, we have not received any indication from federal authorities that they have arrested anyone in connection with our case.”
Venezuelan national Yohenry Brito, 24, was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court and is the only one of the suspects being held on bail at Rikers Island.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the $15,000 bail or $50,000 bond was justified because Brito was positively identified in the video of the attack by a “clear tattoo.”
Brito was already known to police for a series of past offenses, including petit larceny charges for stealing $275 worth of merchandise from Bergdorf Goodman in October and $139 worth of clothing from Macy’s.
Darwin Andres Gomez (left) and Kelvin Servita Arocha were released without bail and allegedly tried to flee
Wilson Juarez (left) and Yorman Reveron also fled: they are accused of plotting against two Times Square officers
ICE initially said it had apprehended the four suspects in Phoenix (pictured), but the Manhattan district attorney’s office has denied that they are the suspects believed to have fled.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the $15,000 bail or $50,000 bond was justified for him only because Brito was positively identified in the video of the attack by a “clear tattoo.”
The sixth suspect, Jhoan Boada, 22, is believed to have remained in New York City.
Boada was photographed giving the middle finger to the press waiting outside the court after his release.
New York City in particular has struggled under the weight of tens of thousands of migrants arriving at its borders in need of places to stay and other accommodations.
In 2023 alone, the city had to deal with the arrival of more than 170,000 migrants.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested in connection with the attack and was pictured leaving the courthouse with his middle fingers up at reporters and grinning
A sixth suspect, Yohenry Brito, 24, was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court and is the only one of the suspects being held on bail. He stays on Rikers Island
Mayor Eric Adams has said the cost of New York City’s migrant crisis is as much as $4.6 billion as he begs the state for more money.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul last month pledged to spend $2.4 billion on the crisis, more than double last year’s proposal.
But Adams claims that’s still not enough to cover the costs of caring for tens of thousands of people who continue to flood into the Big Apple’s “sanctuary city.”
“We are the economic engine of the state,” Mr. Adams told lawmakers at the State Capitol in Albany on Tuesday.
“And we’ve always been here for the state. We need the state to be here in town for us right now.”