Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is charging seven immigrants accused of attacking two New York City Police Department officers in Times Square.
Bragg announced the charges Wednesday afternoon, pointing to the actions of each attacker to explain why he was filing charges against them.
As many as 14 men are believed to have been involved in the attack, although NYPD officials have repeatedly reviewed the number of suspects.
Earlier on Wednesday, the NYPD announced they were searching for two more immigrants believed to be involved in a brutal assault on two NYPD officers in Times Square.
One of the migrants was seen wearing a red shirt and a white hat during the January 27 attack. Police say he kicked officers at least three times before throwing a punch.
The new second suspect wanted on assault charges was allegedly seen kicking officers while wearing a black padded jacket and a red baseball cap.
Before Wednesday’s indictment, six suspects had been charged over the incident, which was caught on camera and sparked furious calls for deportations across the country.
Five of the six defendants were initially released without bail and only one suspect, Yohenry Brito, 24, remains behind bars.
Four of the five freed: Darwin Gómez, Kelvin Servita, Wilson Juárez and Yorman Reverón, are believed to have fled New York City on a bus to California.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pictured announcing that he will charge seven immigrants for an attack on New York police officers in Times Square that was caught on camera.
One of the migrants is seen wearing a red shirt and a white hat during the January 27 attack. Police say he kicked officers at least three times before throwing a punch.
The new second suspect wanted on assault charges was allegedly seen kicking officers while wearing a black padded jacket and a red baseball cap.
Law enforcement sources previously said that four of the immigrants charged in the Times Square attack may have fled the city after using false names to obtain tickets from a charity.
ICE initially said it had detained the four suspects in Phoenix, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office has denied that they are the suspects believed to have fled.
DailyMail.com has reached out to ICE, the district attorney’s office and the Border Patrol for comment on this story.
“The four individuals they detained were not affiliated with the New York City investigation,” a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Wednesday.
‘To date, we have not received any indication from federal authorities that they have arrested anyone related to our case.’
Venezuelan national Yohenry Brito, 24, was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Thursday and is the only one of the suspects held on bail at Rikers Island.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said bail of $15,000 cash or $50,000 bail was warranted because Brito had been positively identified on video of the attack through a “distinctive tattoo.”
Brito was already known to police for a series of past crimes, including petit larceny charges for stealing $275 worth of goods from Bergdorf Goodman in October and $139 worth of clothing from Macy’s.
Darwin Andrés Gómez (left) and Kelvin Servita Arocha were released without bail and are believed to have tried to flee.
Wilson Juárez (left) and Yorman Reverón also fled: they are accused of plotting against two police officers in Times Square
Initially, ICE said they had detained the four suspects in Phoenix (pictured), but the Manhattan district attorney’s office has denied that they are the suspects believed to have fled.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said bail of $15,000 cash or $50,000 bail was warranted for him alone, because Brito had been positively identified on video of the attack through a “distinctive tattoo.”
The sixth accused suspect, Jhoan Boada, 22, is believed to have remained in New York City.
Boada was photographed giving the middle finger to the press waiting outside the court after his release.
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.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested in connection with the attack and was photographed leaving the courthouse with his middle finger raised at reporters and smiling.
A sixth suspect, Yohenry Brito, 24, was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Thursday and is the only one of the suspects being held on bail. He remains on Rikers Island.
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.
But Adams says this is still not enough to cover the cost of caring for tens of thousands of people who continue to flock to the Big Apple’s “sanctuary city.”
“We are the economic engine of the state,” Adams told lawmakers at the state Capitol in Albany on Tuesday.
‘And we have always been here for the State. “We need the State to be here for us in the city.”