What to Know
- A group of people, migrants among them, were caught on video attacking two NYPD officers in Times Square last month
- At least a half-dozen people have been arrested so far; most were released on bail, sparking outrage among police brass and the governor's office.
- Police are now looking for two additional, unidentified suspects; they are among 7 indicted on felony and other charges in the case, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announced
Seven people have been indicted on felony and other charges in connection with last month's assault on police officers in Times Square, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday.
His office presented the case to a grand jury this week amid mounting pressure over his decision not to seek bail for five of the six suspects apprehended. Top police officials and the union, as well as the governor's office, argued people who attack NYPD officers should face harsher immediate consequences than a follow-up court date.
For his part, Bragg said there was extensive confusion around the identity of the men, a group of whom are seen in blurry surveillance footage descending on the two officers in front of a 42nd Street shelter. Not helping matters: federal and local authorities have communication problems.
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Mayor Eric Adams, in attendance for the 2 p.m. event, backed Bragg's cautionary approach, he told reporters.
Earlier this week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials put out a statement saying they detained four men in Arizona in connection with the Times Square case. Law enforcement officials in New York insisted the detained men had no connection to their case at all (the men were not linked to Times Square, Bragg later said in a statement.)
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Police believe up to 13 people may have been involved in the January attack. Details on the indictment weren't immediately clear Thursday, as far as the seven people charged. But Bragg said he felt confident that his office had identified all the roles of people who broke the law and participated in the attack.
"This assault sickened me and outraged me," Bragg said Thursday. "We all rely on members of the NYPD every day to keep us the safest big city in America."
Some critics went so far as to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Bragg from office over his release of the other five.
Bragg's office remained largely mum on the topic for days, until he held a press conference in which he said he didn't want to hold people in jail until he knew their alleged level of involvement.
A day ago, the NYPD put out images of two more men they say they are looking for in the case.
The men, whose names are sealed until they are apprehended and arraigned, are visible on video attacking the officers, officials said. One man is seen kicking an officer multiple times, while the other is seen kicking an officer and then falling down, according to officials.
After 10 days of scrutinizing the videos made public after the assault, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said in the case of two of the defendants charged and released, the video does not show them making any contact with officers.
One defendant, who is wearing camouflage in the video, is only seen kicking a police radio, but not a police officer, according to the law enforcement source. Another defendant was charged with assault, but a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said he is not even visible on the videos at all.
"They wanted to make sure they had the right person, but you can hold these people while you're still investigating," Hochul said. "You don't let them out."
"These indictments won’t mean anything unless these individuals show up in a Manhattan courtroom," added PBA President Patrick Hendry. "Some of them 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. They should be in jail. We won’t call it justice until they are all behind bars."
The suspects are due in court next month.
