Five migrants charged with assaulting two NYPD officers in Times Square last month pleaded not guilty in Manhattan court on Friday.
Yohenry Brito, 24, Yorman Reveron, 24, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, and Wilson Juarez, 21, were all sent to Rikers Island to await trial after being arraigned.
A total of eight migrants have been charged since the January 27 attack on cops. Police are still on the lookout for at least eight other suspects they believe were involved in the melee.
Juarez and Servita-Arocha have been identified as members of Venezuela’s notorious gang Tren de Aragua.
ICE Spokeswoman Marie Ferguson told the New York Post, ‘Both noncitizens have been identified as members of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization.’
Yohenry Brito was at the center of the melee, which started with him resisting 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 Andres Gomez-Izquiel and Yorman Reveron
Cops are still on the lookout for at least eight other men involved in the Times Square melee
Juarez and Arocha, who were released without bail after being charged for the assault, were picked up by agents inside a Bronx apartment after cops executed a warrant for another migrant wanted in connection with the attack.
Arocha was arrested on and ICE warrant and will have his custody status re-evaluated.
Juarez was picked up on a deportation order from a judge in El Paso, Texas, issued one year ago, according to the Post.
Brito, on his part, was bailed out by an activist priest on Tuesday. The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Brooklyn posted his bail, pastor Juan Ruiz said.
The Venezuelan asylum seeker’s bail was set at $15,000 cash or $50,000 bond by the DA as he allegedly began the altercation and had two pending misdemeanor cases.
Meanwhile Gomez-Izquiel was seen walking out of the 110th precinct in Queens on Wednesday after being slapped with the new charges for shoplifting.
Police say Gomez was spotted with three other suspects on Tuesday attempting to shoplift about $608 in items from a Macy’s store in Queens.
Before his arrest, Deputy NYPD commissioner Jaz Daughtry said: ‘One of the migrants who assaulted our officers last week in Times Square is back at it again.
‘This time he was part of a group that robbed a department store in Queens. They also assaulted an employee. Different borough, different crime — same disregard for the law.
‘This is the last thing NYers need. Hey Darwin, we see you — and you will be in handcuffs once again very soon.’
Last week DA Bragg announced the indictments of Gomez and seven others accused of attacking two New York City Police Department officers in Times Square.
Up to 14 men are believed to have been involved in the attack, although NYPD officials have repeatedly revised the number of suspects.
According to the indictment, the assault happened after two police officers instructed the defendants to move to West 41st Street. When an officer grabbed Brito and pushed him against a building, Brito tried to escape and struggled with the officer while being held on the ground.
That’s when the other migrants jumped in and began assaulting the cops, according to police.
New York City in particular has struggled under the weight of tens of thousands of migrants arriving at its borders in need of places to stay and other accommodations.
In 2023 alone, the city dealt with the arrival of more than 170,000 migrants.
Mayor Eric Adams has said the cost of the migrant crisis in New York City is an eye-watering $4.6 billion as he begs the state for more money.
New York state governor Kathy Hochul pledged to commit $2.4 billion to the crisis last month, which is more than double last year’s proposal.