A fifth migrant accused of attacking NYPD officers in Times Square has left court on bail.
The five suspects were arrested and charged with robbery and assault after a vicious attack on NYPD officers in Times Square on Saturday.
Four of those allegedly involved were released without bail. It is now feared they may have fled to California by bus with the help of a church-affiliated migrant leader. reported the New York Post.
Yohenry Brito, 24, was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court and is the only one of the suspects being held on bail.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the $15,000 bond or $50,000 bond was justified because Brito was positively identified in the video of the attack by a “clear tattoo.”
Yohenry Brito, 24, and Jandry Barros, 21, were arrested Wednesday and charged with robbery and assault following the Times Square attack on police
The brazen attack happened around 8:30 p.m. when officers tried to disperse a disorderly group in front of 220 West 42 Street.
A fight broke out between a suspect in a yellow sweatshirt and the police officers.
According to the NYPD, the migrants then began attacking the officers, kicking them in the head and body, while the two officers attempted to pin one of the other men down and remove his sweatshirt.
The migrants then ran away and fled east on 42nd Street toward Seventh Avenue.
Around 10:44 p.m. that evening, four of them — Darwin Andres Gomez Izquiel, 19, Kelvin Servat Arocha, 19, Juarez Wilson, 21, and Yorman Reveron, 24 — were arrested.
They were all charged with assault on a police officer, gang assault, obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct, but were released without bail.
However, Gomez, Arocha, Juarez and Reveron are now believed to have given false names to a church-affiliated nonprofit that helps migrants get rides out of the city, law enforcement sources told the Post.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested Monday evening and charged with attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault.
Police sources confirmed the men’s migrant status to the New York Post. Several of the men’s addresses given by police are homeless and migrant shelters.
Three of the men – Izquiel, Arocha and Wilson – were released on their own recognizance, meaning they were released without bail while their cases were pending.
Reveron was granted supervised release without bail. He already has two open cases for assault and theft in Manhattan after stealing and assaulting a Nordstrom Rack employee in November.
The brazen attack took place in Times Square on Saturday around 8:30 p.m., as officers tried to disperse a disorderly group
Jhoan Boada (pictured), 22, was arrested on Monday evening and charged with attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault
As he left the courthouse, the 22-year-old raised his middle finger at reporters
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said deportation of the migrants involved should be considered
On Wednesday evening, Boada was also released without bail because he has no criminal history.
As he left the courthouse, the 22-year-old raised his middle finger at reporters.
The attack comes as New York City in particular struggles under the weight of tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the border in need of places to stay and other accommodations.
In 2023 alone, the city had to deal with the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants.
Under New York’s right-to-shelter laws, the city is required to provide temporary housing to those in need — including asylum seekers — but shelters have been filling up at an astronomical rate.
In Manhattan, a number of historic hotels have been converted into makeshift shelters and temporary housing.
Democratic Gov. Hochul appears to have reversed her position on the border crisis, saying the state should consider deporting the group of migrants who were released on bail.
On Wednesday, she was asked at an event whether migrants and perpetrators like her should face deportation.
New York City in particular has struggled under the weight of tens of thousands of migrants arriving at its borders in need of a place to stay
New York’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams agreed that it is time to explore deportation. Adams is pictured visiting asylum seekers seeking shelter at James Madison High School in Brooklyn
“I think that’s actually something that needs to be looked at,” Hochul said.
“I mean, if someone commits a crime against a police officer in New York State and he or she is not here legally, then it’s certainly worth investigating.”
“These are law enforcement officers who should not be physically attacked under any circumstances,” Hochul added. “It is wrong on every level and I expect judges and prosecutors to do the right thing.”
Even New York’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams agreed that it is time to explore deportation.
“Those immigrants who are here because they want to be part of the American dream, we say yes to that,” Adams said Wednesday.
“But those who violate our laws, we must reexamine the laws that do not allow us to deport them because they commit violent acts. We cannot create an atmosphere where you are going to bring violence into our city.”
It is clear that the Public Prosecution Service is now investigating additional footage that they did not have when the asylum seekers were charged and released.
It is believed that investigators are using new information and witness statements to determine each suspect’s specific role in the attack.
The spokesperson for the public prosecutor said: ‘Violence against police officers is never acceptable.
“It is of the utmost importance that we can definitively identify each suspect and specify the role of each participant in the incident.
“Every defendant charged to date faces a criminal offense punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, issued a statement condemning the attacks and the criminal justice system that allowed at least one of these men to reoffend.
“Assaults on police officers are becoming an epidemic, and the reason is that we see a revolving door in cases like this,” Hendry said.
“It is impossible for police officers to effectively tackle crime and disorder if the justice system cannot or will not protect us while we do that job.”