One of the illegal migrants arrested for the violent attack on two New York Police Department officers in Times Square last month was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday.
Yohenry Brito, 24, was incited in relation to the Jan. 27 caught-on-video attack where a mob of migrants kicked and punched an NYPD lieutenant and officer just steps from the New Amsterdam theater — a popular destination among tourists.
The grand jury charges remained under seal as of Tuesday, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told the New York Post.
The indictment came hours after Brito had been led into New York Criminal Court in shackles to answer two misdemeanor charges related to shoplifting, to which he pleaded not guilty.
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Yohenry Brito appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, New York City, on Feb, 6, 2024. Brito was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday. He was in court to answer two misdemeanor charges related to shoplifting, to which he pleaded not guilty. (Steven Hirsch for New York Post via Pool)
Brito is the only suspect to have been arrested and held on bail in connection to the Times Square assault and is also the only suspect to have been indicted so far.
In total, seven migrants were arrested in relation to the ugly incident with several of the others understood to have left New York after being released. A viral video of the incident, along with a video of one of the immigrants giving the middle finger after being released, sparked widespread condemnation.
Brito has a distinctive tattoo on the right-hand side of his neck which prosecutors had concentrated on last week when they asked a judge to hold Brito on bail.
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His attorney, Mark Jankowitz, told The Post that Brito denies the misdemeanor charges.
Yohenry Brito appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on Feb. 6, 2024. Brito was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday. He was in court to answer two misdemeanor charges related to shoplifting, to which he pleaded not guilty. (Steven Hirsch for New York Post via Pool)
“He’s procedurally entering a plea of not guilty and he’s pleading not guilty to all the charges at this time,” Jankowitz said.
Brito has been held on Rikers Island since his arrest and will appear in court to answer the misdemeanor charges on April 3.
He is scheduled to appear in New York Supreme Court on March 25 to be arraigned on the charges in his sealed indictment, The Post reports.
The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA) President Patrick Hendry said the indictment was “just one small step towards justice for our injured brothers.”
“It might never have happened without the outcry from New Yorkers who are fed up with a justice system that keeps failing to protect both police officers and the public,” Hendry said in a statement posted to X.
Surveillance cameras captured two NYPD officers being attacked near Times Square last month. (NYPD)
“Too many of the participants in this vicious attack are still roaming free,” he continued. “We are once again urging all New Yorkers: Keep speaking up until they are all behind bars where they belong.”
The grand jury indictment came just a day after several of the illegal immigrants suspected of beating New York City police officers were arrested in Phoenix, Arizona.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources told Fox News that the migrants allegedly involved in the mob beating of NYPD officers were arrested by ICE and Homeland Security Investigations at a Greyhound bus station in Phoenix.
The identities of the suspects arrested have not been released.