5 men accused of attacking 2 police officers at Times Square to face felony charges
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Men involved in an alleged attack on 2 police officers have been indicted, as per Manhattan's DA.
The announcement came on Thursday, February 8, from DA Alvin Bragg that the seven people linked to the attack will face the legal proceedings decided by a grand jury.
Who are the suspects?
The district attorney said over the press conference that five of the defendants, Yorman Reveron, 24; Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19; Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19; Wilson Juarez, 21; and Yohenry Brito, 24 will face charges.
Once the remaining two culprits are arrested, their names will be made public as well. “This assault … sickened me and outraged me,” Bragg said.
“As a lifelong New Yorker, I do not tolerate attacks on police officers, and certainly I do not as Manhattan district attorney,” he added.
The incident took place on January 27 when the police officers were trying to disperse a crowd involved in a fight. The officers suffered minor injuries, as per official records.
DA reveals extent of the suspects' involvement
The DA said that Gomez-Izquiel allegedly grabbed one officer and kicked another, and Reveron allegedly grabbed and pulled two officers to the ground.
Both men have been charged with two counts of second-degree assault and obstructing governmental administration, Bragg informed.
Juarez and Servita Arocha did not assault police, he said.
Prosecutors claimed that Juarez gave a suspect a jacket and then put a jacket on before he discarded it to avoid an arrest, reported NBC News.
“He is charged with tampering with physical evidence and third-degree hindering prosecution,” prosecutors said.
Earlier, New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the decision to let out the suspects after initial arrest.
“I’m not satisfied with that at all. These are law enforcement officers, who should never, under any circumstances, be subjected to physical assault,” she said.
“It’s wrong on all accounts, and I’m looking to judges and prosecutors to do the right thing. We have changed bail laws. We have different laws now as a result of what we did in 2022, in the 2023 budgets, and we’re seeing a decline in repeat offenders. We have all sorts of data that shows it’s working, but that situation is abhorrent to me,” she added.
