MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Seven people have been indicted in connection with the assault of two NYPD officers in Times Square last month, prosecutors said Thursday.
Five defendants have been arrested and charged and two suspects have not been apprehended, according to authorities. The charges include felony assault and tampering with physical evidence.
“We wish the heinous attack didn’t happen,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference.
Police on Wednesday released photos of two more suspects who are wanted in connection with the attack on the officers. Law enforcement is working to identify and arrest the two men for assault, according to the NYPD.
Fourteen people were allegedly involved in the attack on the two officers in front of 220 West 42nd St. in Times Square on Jan. 27, according to the NYPD.
The police officers were trying to get a “disorderly” group to move along from the area when a physical altercation occurred, NYPD officials said. The officers then tried to take one of the people into custody, which is when other members of the group began repeatedly kicking the officers. All of the suspects involved in the attack are migrants, police said.
Eight suspects have already been arrested in connection with the incident, police said. All but one of them — 24-year-old Yohenry Brito — were released from custody without bail.
Brito was indicted Tuesday in connection with the attack, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The release of the suspects without bail has resulted in criticism of New York’s bail laws.
There have also been frustrations by some lawmakers over New York City’s “sanctuary” status and the inability to deport migrants who commit crimes in the city.
Several migrants who were arrested in connection with the attack on the officers in Times Square were seen getting on a bus to California after they were released from custody, sources told NewsNation affiliate WPIX.