Four migrants were filmed clobbering two NYPD officers to the ground in Times Square…before being released without bail.
The incident began at around 8:30 p.m. Saturday night on West 42nd Street, as the pair of cops told the violent quartet men to get moving.
That’s when a fight started to break out between a suspect in a yellow sweatshirt and the police officers.
According to the NYPD, the migrants then started to attack the officers, kicking them in the head and body while the two officers try to pin down one of the other men, tearing off his sweatshirt.
The migrants then ran away, leaving the unidentified police officers on the ground while they made their getaway east on 42nd Street toward Seventh Avenue.
This is the moment a gang of four migrants began clobbering two NYPD officers in New York’s Times Square
The gang are said to have struck after being asked to keep moving without cops. The suspected attackers were later arrested…and subsequently freed without bail
At around 10:44 p.m. that night, 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, Obstructing Governmental Administration and Disorderly Conduct but were released without bail.
New York has come under fire for its progressive laws aimed at stopping people who can’t afford to make bail languish in prison for months on end.
Critics say it has led to a spike in violent criminals being freed straight back onto the streets – and emboldened them to reoffend, knowing there’ll be few consequences.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested Monday night 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.
The officers cuts to the face for one and body bruises for the other – at the scene.
Reveron, the eldest of the men arrested, already has two open cases for assault and robbery in Manhattan, having stolen from and assaulted a Nordstrom Rack employee in November.
Times Square is one of New York’s most famous tourist meccas – but it also has a reputation for being a rough area filled with criminals
The worker had caught him attempting to swipe an item worth $130 before he allegedly ‘pushed, punched and bit’ them.
He also allegedly punched a loss prevention officer at the famous Herald Square Macy’s while trying to commit a robbery with two other suspects.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry condemned the attacks and the criminal justice system that allowed at least one of these men to re-offend in a statement.
‘Attacks on police officers are becoming an epidemic, and the reason is a revolving door we’re seeing in cases like this one,’ Hendry said.
‘It is impossible for police officers to deal effectively with crime and disorder if the justice system can’t or won’t protect us while we do that work.’
The incident remains under investigation by ‘progressive’ Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
The attack comes as 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 dealt with the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded for state and federal aid as it is estimated the migrant crisis will cost the city $12billion over the next three years – a number the Hochul administration is likely attempting to offset slightly with the new working plan.
New York is a Right to Shelter state and is required to house the asylum seekers but shelters have filled up at an astronomical rate.
In Manhattan, a number of landmark hotels have been turned into makeshift shelters and temporary housing.
Back in September, Hochul said: ‘We have to get the word out, that when you come to New York, you’re not going to have more hotel rooms, we don’t have capacity.
‘So we have to also message properly that we’re at a limit – if you’re going to leave your country, go somewhere else.’