2 more suspects nabbed in beatdown of NYPD cops outside migrant shelter
NEW YORK — Two more suspects have been nabbed in the caught-on-camera pummeling of an NYPD lieutenant and officer outside a Manhattan migrant shelter, police said Thursday.
Yohenry Brito, 24, and Jandry Barros, 21, were arrested Wednesday night for robbery and felony assault.
The attack happened Saturday night when the cops tried to dispel a disorderly group outside the Candler Building on West 42nd Street near Seventh Avenue, surveillance video released by the NYPD shows.
When the two cops tried to put a man in a yellow jacket under arrest they were suddenly attacked by multiple people from all sides.
“They were kicking and punching one of the cops,” a security guard in the area told the New York Daily News on Tuesday. “They mobbed (the cops). It was wild.”
Both cops suffered scratches, bumps and bruises in the attack, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
“You saw the video. Reprehensible,” Chell told reporters Wednesday morning following the annual State of the NYPD Breakfast at Cipriani 42nd St., about five blocks from where the attack took place. “(They’re) cowards. You have eight people attacking a lieutenant and a cop, running up to them to kick them in the face.”
“The video speaks for itself,” Chell added. “(The officers) stayed and fought, but eight on two is hard to combat.”
Police actually believe 12 men were involved in the assault and are still looking for five of them.
Arrested at the scene were Yorman Reveron, 24, Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, and Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19. A fifth suspect, Jhoan Boada, 22, was apprehended Monday night.
All five face charges of either assault on a police officer, gang assault or attempted assault and other charges.
The four apprehended Saturday night were set free without bail after their arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Following his Wednesday arraignment, Boada was also released without bail after his attorney adamantly denied the man was involved in the brawl.
“He says if you watch the videotape you will not see him on there,” said attorney Javier Damien. “He wasn’t involved in this situation at all.”
But one of the officers involved in the attack recalled Boada’s distinctive pink shoes and recognized him in a wanted flyer related to the incident, prosecutors said.
As he left the courthouse, Boada flashed twin middle fingers at reporters and photographers.
“I don’t understand,” he said in Spanish. “I didn’t do nothing.”
The first five suspects arrested are all migrants who live at other shelters. It wasn’t immediately clear if the two newly arrested suspects are migrants.
Brito and Barros were awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday. Brito has prior arrests for petty larceny and robbery, cops said, while Barros has a prior Queens arrest for petty larceny. Barros is due back in Queens Criminal Court on that case later this month.
Chell is outraged the first five suspects are back on the streets.
“They should be sitting on Rikers, being indicted this week and taken off our streets,” Chell said. “You want to know why our cops are getting assaulted? There’s no consequences. We must change this. End of story.”
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