Migrant ‘cowards’ who beat on cops near Times Square should be locked up, NYPD chief says as 5th suspect released without bail
The migrant “cowards” who allegedly ganged up on a pair of cops near Times Square should be jailed, an NYPD official said Wednesday — as yet another suspect in the shocking mob attack was cut loose without bail.
Jhoan Boada, 22, even took time to flip the double bird as he strolled out of Manhattan Criminal Court following his arraignment on charges of assaulting a police officer and obstructing governmental administration for Saturday’s caught-on-camera beating.
“I didn’t do nothing,” he muttered in Spanish as he exited a courthouse hallway in a hail of news camera flashes.
Boada was the fifth accused cop-attacker sprung on the bail-eligible rap, something NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell ripped as “reprehensible” earlier Wednesday.
“You have eight people attacking a lieutenant and a cop. The four that were arrested should be sitting in Rikers [Island] right now on bail,” the disgusted chief told reporters, as he noted cops are still hunting for three more suspects.
“You want to know why our cops are getting assaulted? There are no consequences,” he continued. “Eight people attacked two cops. Cowards.”
The gang of asylum-seekers ganged up on the two cops, kicking and pummeling them, after the officers broke up a disorderly group around 8:30 p.m. Saturday on West 42nd Street, near Seventh Avenue, according to cops and surveillance footage.
Police arrested four of the accused thugs at the scene, identified as Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, and Yorman Reveron, 24.
All four were later arraigned on a count each of second-degree assault on a police officer and obstructing governmental administration, according to a criminal complaint.
Boada was arrested a day after the attack when a cop on a foot post in Times Square recognized him from the surveillance footage and a wanted flyer, according to the criminal complaint against him.
Two more suspects, Yohenry Brito, 24, and Jandry Barros, 21, were busted Wednesday night. They were charged with felony assault and robbery, police said.
Both Brito and Barros have past arrests for petit larceny, according to sources.
The first five men arrested are originally from Venezuela and arrived in the city late last year. All of them, other than Boada, who did not have a last known address, appear to live at city migrant shelters, according to law enforcement sources.
None have work permits or known relatives in the city, the sources said.
Surveillance video of the attack Saturday shows the two cops instructing the group to move on — when they suddenly are seen wrestling with one of the men, with all three falling to the ground.
That’s when the rest of the pack starts kicking and slugging the cops, who are left on the ground.
“The video speaks for itself,” Chell said Wednesday. “I’m proud of what they tried to do. They stayed in the fight, but eight on two is hard.”
The suspects should face “consequences for your actions,” he added. “They should be sitting in Rikers, they should be indicted this week and have their day in court and go to jail.
“You want to stop the assault on our cops? This is where it begins.”
The two assaulted cops, identified in a criminal complaint as Lt. Ben Kurian and Police Officer Tian Zunxu, suffered minor injuries.
According to the complaint, Kurian was attempting to arrest one of the still-at-large suspects when the other four pounced on him, leaving him with a bloody and bruised lip and nose.
Zunxu suffered “substantial pain,” the complaint says.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not ask for bail for any of the five defendants who have been arrested so far.
“Your Honor, we take violence against police officers very seriously,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Zachary Kotin insisted in court Wednesday evening.
“The NYPD arrested four individuals involved in this incident over the weekend, and the defendant was the fifth person arrested in connection with this incident,” he said.
“Those individuals, who are between the ages of 19 and 24, were released without bail to allow us to continue to investigate, and we are similarly requesting he be released on his own recognizance… as this defendant has no criminal history,” Kotin told Judge Barbara Brown.
“It is paramount that we conclusively identify each defendant and specify each defendant’s role in the incident,” he added.
Boada’s lawyer claimed his client wasn’t part of the rowdy pack that attacked the two cops.
“[Boada] says if you watch the videotape you will not see him on there,” defense attorney Javier Damien told the judge.
“He wasn’t involved in the situation at all,” the lawyer claimed — although police said that when he was busted, he was still wearing the black-and-white jacket and pink shoes that one assailant wore in the video.
The footage shows that man kicking one of the cops in the head three times.
In a statement Wednesday, prosecutors said the incident is still under investigation and additional footage of the attack is being reviewed.
“It is paramount that we conclusively identify each defendant and specify each participant’s role in the incident,” the statement said.
“Every defendant charged so far is facing felony charges that carry a penalty of up to seven years,” it said. “This is an active, ongoing investigation.”
Sources said Reveron already had two open criminal cases in Manhattan.
In November, he allegedly “pushed, punched and bit” a Nordstrom Rack employee who caught him trying to steal a $130 item from the Union Square store’s display rack, according to law enforcement sources.
Last month, he also allegedly “punched with a closed fist” a loss prevention officer at the Herald Square Macy’s after trying to pull off a robbery with two other suspects, the sources said.
His attorney and lawyers for Gomez-Izquiel, Arocha and Juarez did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
A worker at a building near a migrant shelter on West 42nd Street that Gomez-Izquiel is said to have stayed at told said he recognized his photo, telling The Post, “I know that blonde hair.
“We are supposed to be f—ing helping these people and they come here and f—ing beat up our cops? It’s ridiculous,” the man said. “I don’t even talk to them.”
Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts and Larry Celona
