Five immigrants accused of assaulting two NYPD officers in Times Square last month pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court on Friday.
Yohenry Brito, 24, Yorman Reverón, 24, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, Darwin Andrés Gómez-Izquiel, 19, and Wilson Juárez, 21, were sent to Rikers Island to await trial after being arraigned .
All face charges of second-degree assault and obstruction of government administration, except Juarez, who is accused of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. They are all due back in court on April 13.
A total of eight immigrants have been charged since the attack on police on January 27. Police are still searching for at least eight other suspects who they believe were involved in the melee.
Another suspect in the assault, Yarwuin Madris, pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Yohenry Brito was at the center of the melee, which began when he resisted arrest, according to the NYPD.
Wilson Juarez, left, and Kelvin Servita Arocha, who ICE officials say are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Darwin Andrés Gómez-Izquiel and Yorman Reverón
Juárez and Servita-Arocha have been identified as members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
ICE spokesperson Marie Ferguson told the New York Post: “Both non-citizens have been identified as members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua.”
Juarez and Arocha, who were released without bail after being charged with the assault, were detained by officers inside a Bronx apartment after police executed a warrant for another migrant wanted in connection with the attack.
Arocha was arrested on an ICE warrant and his custody status will be reevaluated.
Juárez was detained thanks to a deportation order from a judge in El Paso, Texas, issued a year ago, according to the Post.
Brito, for his part, was rescued on Tuesday by an activist priest. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Brooklyn posted his bail, Pastor Juan Ruiz said.
The Venezuelan asylum seeker’s bail was set by the district attorney at $15,000 cash or $50,000 when the altercation allegedly began and he had two pending misdemeanor cases.
Meanwhile, Gomez-Izquiel was seen leaving the 110th Precinct in Queens on Wednesday after being charged with new shoplifting charges.
Police say Gomez was seen with three other suspects on Tuesday attempting to steal about $608 worth of items from a Macy’s store in Queens.
Before his arrest, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Jaz Daughtry said: “One of the immigrants who attacked our officers last week in Times Square has done it again.”
Yarwuin Madris became the seventh suspect arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday night in connection with the vicious January 27 attack.
Police are still searching for at least eight other men involved in the Times Square melee.
‘This time he was part of a group that robbed a department store in Queens. They also attacked an employee. Different district, different crime, same disregard for the law.
‘This is the last thing New Yorkers need. Hello Darwin, we see you and very soon you will be back in handcuffs.”
An eighth suspect named Ulises Bohórquez, 21, was arrested by New York City Police Department officers in Manhattan in connection with the Wednesday morning incident.
Last week, District Attorney Bragg announced indictments against Gomez and seven other people accused of attacking two New York City Police Department officers in Times Square.
As many as 14 men are believed to have been involved in the attack, although NYPD officials have repeatedly reviewed the number of suspects.
According to the indictment, the assault occurred after two police officers ordered the defendants to West 41st Street. When an officer grabbed Brito and pushed him against a building, Brito attempted to escape and struggled with the officer while he was held on the ground.
That’s when the other immigrants intervened and began attacking the officers, according to police.
New York City, in particular, has struggled under the weight of tens of thousands of migrants arriving at its borders in search of places to stay and other accommodations.
In 2023 alone, the city faced the arrival of more than 170,000 immigrants.
Mayor Eric Adams has said the cost of the immigration crisis in New York City is $4.6 billion, as he pleads with the state for more money.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul pledged $2.4 billion to the crisis last month, more than double last year’s proposal.