4 suspects believed to be involved in Times Square attack on NYPD officers arrested in Arizona, ICE says
NEW YORK -- Four suspects believed to be involved in the Jan. 27 attack on two NYPD officers in Times Square were arrested in Arizona on Monday, according to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It was not immediately clear whether they were among those who had been previously arrested in New York or if they were part of the larger group still being sought by the NYPD.
In a statement, Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe with ICE said:
"On Feb. 5, special agents with Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations and U. S. Border Patrol apprehended four individuals on a bus who were travelling to the Phoenix Greyhound Bus Station from El Paso, Texas. The subjects were believed to be fleeing the state of New York from their suspected involvement in a coordinated assault on multiple New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officers.
"On Feb. 6, the four individuals were transferred to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to be processed for immigration violations."
Surveillance video released by the NYPD shows two officers being attacked by a group of individuals outside a migrant shelter on West 42nd Street while they try to take someone into custody.
Tuesday, a grand jury indicted 24-year-old Yohenry Brito, who is accused of instigating the attack by fighting with officers as they tried to arrest him. He entered a not guilty plea and will be arraigned in March.
A total of 13 people are believed to have been involved in the attack. Brito is the only suspect being held on Rikers Island.
Five other suspects were arrested and released without bail.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said he did not request bail for those suspects because it wasn't clear the exact role each played in the attack. The DA's office says they're working closely with the NYPD to make positive identifications and build their case.
That decision sparked criticism by other local officials, including the governor.
"They were freed because no bail was posted. I worked hard to change the bail laws in New York state. Those crimes were bail eligible," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
The DA says there's a very short window to prove why someone should receive bail, and there was no bail because it wasn't clear who did what.
The Jan. 27 scuffle reignited division on the migrant crisis. Some Republican lawmakers are urging Hochul to remove Bragg from office, saying in part, "The public safety of New Yorkers is clearly at risk. We urgently ask you to exercise your power under the State Constitution and the Public Officers Law."
Meanwhile, immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York says all New Yorkers deserve due process and wants body cam footage released. In a statement the group said, "It is deeply irresponsible for anyone to use one incident to vilify immigrant communities."
Brito's bail is set at $15,000. He has two prior cases that are open, including a shoplifting charge.
As far as the ICE arrests in Arizona, police sources tell us the NYPD has not been notified.