Bodycam footage released showing migrant attack on NYPD officers
Seven suspects have been indicted in connection to the Times Square attack on Jan. 27.
Nearly two weeks since two New York City police officers were attacked by a group of migrants, only one suspect is being held in custody while questions remain about the whereabouts of four others charged after they were arrested and released on no bail.
Yohenry Brito, 24, was arrested days after the Jan. 27 incident in which two NYPD officers attempting to disperse a crowd in Times Square were repeatedly kicked and punched during a struggle on the ground. He remains jailed on Rikers Island.
Moments after the melee, officers arrested four suspects — Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, and Yorman Reveron, 24.
All four were released a short time later, angering police officials and some city leaders.
ICE OFFICIAL RIPS NYC POLICIES SHIELDING POLICE-BEATING MIGRANTS FROM DEPORTATION
Kelvin Arocha, 19, left, Wilson Juarez, 21, Yorman Reveron, 24, and Darwin Gomez Izquiel, 19, are all charged with attacking a pair of New York City police officers. (NYPD)
On Thursday, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced it had secured indictments against seven suspects.
Arocha, Gomez-Izquiel and Reveron are both charged with two counts each of second-degree assault and obstructing governmental administration. Juarez is charged with tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution. He is accused of switching jackets with one of the other suspects to throw off investigators.
Brito, who appeared to wrestle with officers on the ground, faces the most charges of those announced — two counts of second-degree assault, obstructing governmental administration, tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution.
Two others indicted were not identified by the DA's office, as well as the charges they face. Authorities released bodycam and street camera footage of the attack Thursday.
NYPD CHIEF BLASTS MIGRANTS' ATTACK ON OFFICERS AS MUGSHOTS OF SUSPECTS RELEASED
Yohenry Brito appears at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Feb. 1. He is charged with attacking police officers in Times Square and is being held on Rikers Island. (Curtis Means/Daily Mail POOL)
After their release from police custody, reports surfaced that Gomez-Izquiel, Juarez, Arocha and Reveron had fled to California. A law enforcement source told the New York Post that the group recently fled to California after giving fake names to a nonprofit group that transports migrants, and that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have since issued warrants for the men.
"Over the last several days, there have been rumors that the four individuals above left the City and were taken into custody by federal authorities," the DA's office said in a news release Thursday.
The Department of Homeland Security informed authorities in New York on Wednesday that four people arrested in Arizona were not connected to the case involving the two NYPD officers, the DA said.
A spokesperson for the office of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg declined to comment on potential bail requests if the four New York migrants are apprehended, saying: "We don't discuss bail until Supreme Court arraignments."
Mayor Eric Adams, left, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg listen during a press conference where they announced several charges for migrants involved in a Times Square attack on police, Thursday, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Authorities believe 11 people may have been involved in the attack. In addition to the seven indicted, three others remain unidentified, officials said. Another suspect, Jhoan Boada, 22, was also later arrested and was seen flipping off reporters upon his release. He has not been indicted as the DA's office continues to investigate his alleged role.
Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, said the seven indictments don't mean "anything unless these individuals show up in a Manhattan courtroom."
"Some might be thousands of miles away at this point. New York City police officers will apprehend those who fail to appear, but we shouldn't have to," he said in a statement. "They should be in jail. We don't call it justice until they are all behind bars."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the NYPD about the whereabouts of the four suspects.
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